Boy Names That Start With L
L is a soft, liquid letter, and it gives boys’ names a gentle, lyrical quality. It’s home to some of the biggest names of the past decade — Liam, Lucas, Levi, Leo and Luca — and several of them mean “light” or “lion,” which may explain their appeal.
Here are 100+ boy names that start with L, grouped into popular names, lion and light names, classics, biblical names, Celtic and Scottish names, unique finds and international picks. Also see our boy names hub, boy names that start with M, and girl names that start with L.
Popular L names for boys
L names that dominate US baby name charts (SSA data).
| Name | Meaning | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Liam | Resolute protector (from William) | Irish |
| Lucas | From Lucania; associated with “light” | Latin / Greek |
| Levi | Joined, attached | Hebrew |
| Logan | Little hollow | Scottish Gaelic |
| Lincoln | Lake colony (Roman town in England) | English / Latin |
| Landon | Long hill | English |
| Luke | From Lucania | Greek |
| Luca | Italian form of Luke | Italian |
| Luis | Famous warrior | Spanish |
| Lorenzo | From Laurentum; laurel | Italian / Latin |
| Legend | Story passed down; a celebrated person | English |
| Lane | Narrow road | English |
| Leon | Lion | Greek |
| Lukas | German / Scandinavian form of Luke | German |
| Landen | Variant of Landon | English |
| Lennox | Elm grove | Scottish |
| Louie | Pet form of Louis | English |
L names meaning lion or light
Two meanings that pop up again and again in L names. For more, see names that mean light and lion names.
| Name | Meaning | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Leo | Lion | Latin |
| Leonardo | Brave lion | Italian / German |
| Lionel | Little lion | French |
| Leander | Lion man | Greek |
| Leonidas | Son of the lion; Spartan king | Greek |
| Lev | Lion (also “heart” in Hebrew) | Russian / Hebrew |
| Lucian | Light | Latin |
| Lucius | Light | Latin |
| Lux | Light | Latin |
| Lior | My light | Hebrew |
| Loukas | Greek form of Luke | Greek |
| Llewellyn | Leader, or lion-like | Welsh |
| Leonel | Little lion | Spanish |
Classic and vintage L names
Timeless L names with an old-world feel. More in old-fashioned boy names.
| Name | Meaning | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Lawrence | From Laurentum; laurel | Latin |
| Louis | Famous warrior | French / German |
| Leonard | Brave lion | German |
| Lloyd | Gray-haired | Welsh |
| Lester | From Leicester | English |
| Lyle | Island | French / Scottish |
| Lowell | Young wolf | French / English |
| Leroy | The king | French |
| Lewis | Famous warrior (English form of Louis) | English |
| Lamar | The sea | French |
| Linus | Flax | Greek |
| Luther | People’s army | German |
| Lyndon | Linden-tree hill | English |
| Lamont | Lawman | Scottish / Norse |
| Lyman | Man from the meadow | English |
| Leslie | Holly garden (historically a male name) | Scottish |
Biblical L names for boys
Scriptural names starting with L; our biblical boy names list has hundreds more.
| Name | Meaning | Bible reference |
|---|---|---|
| Lazarus | God has helped | John 11 |
| Laban | White | Genesis 24 |
| Lemuel | Devoted to God | Proverbs 31 |
| Lot | Covering, veil | Genesis 11 |
| Lysias | Releasing | Acts 23 |
| Lamech | Powerful | Genesis 4 |
Scottish, Irish and Welsh L names
Celtic L names with pronunciation tips. More at Scottish boy names and Welsh boy names.
| Name | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Lachlan | LOCK-lan | From the land of lakes (Norway); Scottish |
| Lorcan | LOR-kan | Little fierce one; Irish |
| Lugh | LOO | Shining; Irish god of skill |
| Lochlan | LOCK-lan | Variant of Lachlan; Irish / Scottish |
| Leith | LEETH | Wet, damp; Scottish place name |
| Lorne | LORN | From Lorne, a district of Scotland |
| Lleu | HLAY | Bright, fair; Welsh mythology |
| Lir | LEER | Sea; Irish sea god of the Children of Lir legend |
| Lennon | LEN-un | Lover, sweetheart; Irish |
| Laoghaire | LEER-ee | Calf herder; Irish king |
| Lyall | LY-al | Wolf; Scottish (from Norse) |
Unique L names for boys
Rarely heard, easy to love. See also unique boy names and hipster boy names.
| Name | Meaning | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Lysander | Liberator | Greek |
| Lazlo | Glorious ruler (from László) | Hungarian |
| Leif | Heir, descendant | Old Norse |
| Lark | The lark songbird | English |
| Loyal | Faithful | English |
| Linden | Linden tree | English |
| Lowen | Joyful | Cornish |
| Laird | Lord, landowner | Scottish |
| Lucan | Light; also from Luke | Latin / Irish |
| Leopold | Brave people | German |
| Lenny | Pet form of Leonard | English |
| Lowry | From Lawrence, “laurel” | Scottish / English |
| Ledger | Account book; also an English surname | English |
| Lyric | Words of a song | Greek |
| Langston | Long stone | English |
| Loxley | Clearing near a lake (Robin Hood’s home) | English |
| Lawson | Son of Lawrence | English |
| Lumen | Light | Latin |
| Lyon | Lion; also the French city | French |
| Lucero | Bright star | Spanish |
| Lachie | Short for Lachlan | Scottish |
L names from around the world
International L names used for boys.
| Name | Pronunciation | Meaning & origin |
|---|---|---|
| Lars | LARS | Scandinavian form of Lawrence |
| Laszlo | LAHS-loh | Glorious rule; Hungarian (László) |
| Luka | LOO-kah | Slavic form of Luke |
| Lorenz | LOR-ents | German form of Lawrence |
| Loïc | loh-EEK | Breton form of Louis |
| Lautaro | lau-TAH-roh | Swift hawk; Mapuche war leader |
| Leandro | leh-AHN-droh | Lion man; Spanish / Portuguese |
| Luciano | loo-CHAH-noh | Light; Italian |
| Lakshman | LUCK-shmun | Having auspicious marks; Sanskrit |
| Lamin | LAH-min | Trustworthy; West African (from Amin) |
| Li | LEE | Strength, beautiful or reason (by character); Chinese |
| Lucien | loo-SYAN | Light; French |
| Ludwig | LOOD-vig | Famous warrior; German |
| Liang | lee-AHNG | Good, bright (by character); Chinese |
| Luuk | LOOK | Dutch form of Luke |
| Lwazi | LWAH-zee | Knowledge; Zulu / Xhosa |
| Lennart | LEN-art | Brave lion; Swedish / German |
| Lucjan | LOOTS-yahn | Polish form of Lucian |
Tips for picking a boy name that starts with L
- L names are soft, so they balance hard-sounding surnames nicely: Leo Grant, Lachlan Burke.
- Watch for “L-L” run-ons: Liam Lowell or a surname ending in L can blur together.
- Luke, Lucas, Luca, Luka and Lukas are all popular variants of one name — pick the one that fits your heritage if you want to stand out.
- Long L names have easy nicknames: Leonardo → Leo; Lysander → Sandy or Zan; Lachlan → Lachie; Leopold → Leo or Poldi.
- Consider middle-name flow: an L name ending in a vowel (Leo, Luca) pairs smoothly with a middle name starting with a consonant.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most popular boy name that starts with L?
Liam has been the No. 1 boy name in the US for several years, with Lucas, Levi, Leo and Luca also near the top.
What boy names starting with L mean lion?
Leo, Leon, Lionel, Leonardo, Leander, Leonidas and Lev all relate to lions.
What’s a unique L name for a boy?
Lysander, Lorcan, Laird, Loxley, Lark and Lugh are uncommon but real names.
What Scottish boy names start with L?
Lachlan, Logan, Lennox, Leith, Lorne, Laird and Lyall are Scottish.
What does Liam mean?
Liam is the Irish short form of William, from Germanic elements meaning “will” and “helmet, protection,” often interpreted as “resolute protector.”