Girl · #874 in 2026

Liv

Name: Popularity of the name Liv in U.S. births, 1880–2026
Creator: U.S. Social Security Administration
License: https://www.ssa.gov/foia/
Keywords: Liv, baby name, popularity, U.S., SSA, rankings

Liv is a Nordic female given name derived from the Old Norse "hlíf", which means "shelter" or "protection". In modern Norwegian, Swedish, and Danish it is also homophonous with the word "liv" meaning "life".

Norwegian
Swedish
Danish
English

Current Rank

#874

Peak Rank

#665 (2017)

Total Babies

5-Yr Trend

-19%

1956

First Year

2026

Last Year

2017

Peak Year

#665

Peak Rank

Total Count

Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Liv

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)

Norwegian
Swedish
Danish
English

The Story of Liv

American parents first put Liv on the record books as a baby girl name in 1956, with 5 registered babies. Its peak popularity came in 2017, when 437 Livs were born — ranking #672 that year. About 48% of every Liv on record arrived during the 2010s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Liv ranks #874 for baby girls with 310 births, falling sharply (-19%). All told, over 7K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1950s to the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

Top 10

11-50

51-100

101-500

500+

No data

Variants & Related Forms of Liv

Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Liv. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Names that sound like Liv

Phonetically similar names — useful when Liv is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Live
Love
Lov
Lev
Luv
Luve
Leave
Leve
Lave
Lav
Lieve
Liw

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Liv

What does the name Liv mean?

What is the origin of the name Liv?

Liv has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: Norwegian, Swedish, Danish, English.

How popular is Liv in 2026?

In 2026, Liv ranks #874 among girls' names in the U.S., with 310 babies given the name that year.

When was Liv most popular?

Liv reached its peak popularity in 2017, ranking #665 that year with 437 babies given the name.

In which U.S. states is Liv most popular?

Liv has historically been most popular in District of Columbia, Hawaii, South Dakota. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Liv.

Is Liv a unisex name?

In U.S. Social Security records, Liv is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.

What names go well with Liv?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Liv include Taniya, Carmelita, Marge. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

What are nicknames or variants of Liv?

Common variants and related forms of Liv include Liva, Live, Alivia, Livia, Livvy, Livy. These cover foreign-language equivalents, alternate spellings, and short forms.

About the name Liv

Liv is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1956 and has accumulated 7K births in the dataset. Liv's peak popularity came in 2017 when it ranked #665. Use the chart and map above to compare Liv's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

Data sources

Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .

Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.