ESC Name Rank Total Searching... No names found Try searching for: Emma, Liam, Olivia, Noah... 👧As Girl Name 1880 First Year 2026 Last Year 2022 Peak Year #731 Peak Rank 5K Total Count 123 Years Active 👦As Boy Name 1882 First Year 2026 Last Year 2022 Peak Year #566 Peak Rank 1K Total Count 105 Years Active 🌍 ## Meaning & Origin of Love What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures. Love is the Swedish version of the French name Louis. It can also be a version of Lovisa, and can thus be used both for men and women, although it is more common with men. Source: [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love%5F%28given%5Fname%29) (CC BY-SA 3.0). [Read more → ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love%5F%28given%5Fname%29) ### Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name) * Swedish * English 📖 ## The Story of Love ### As a girl name Love first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a girl name in 1880, with 5 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 2022: 386 births, good for #750 nationwide. The 2020s were its strongest decade, accounting for roughly 44% of all recorded Loves. In the latest 2026 data it stands at #737 among girl names with 383 births, rising sharply (+107% over the past five years). In total, more than 5K Loves have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s. ### As a boy name American parents first put Love on the record books as a boy name in 1882, with 5 registered babies. Its peak popularity came in 2022, when 32 Loves were born — ranking #3,532 that year. In the latest 2026 data it stands at #3,661 among boy names with 31 births, rising sharply (+121% over the past five years). In total, more than 1K Loves have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s. ## Popularity Over Time Girls Boys ## Popularity by State 👧 Girls 👦 Boys ME WA MT ND MN WI MI NY VT NH MA OR ID SD IA IL IN OH PA NJ CT RI CA NV WY NE MO KY WV VA MD DE DC UT CO KS AR TN NC SC AK AZ NM OK LA MS AL GA HI TX FL Top 10 11-50 51-100 101-500 500+ No data 🔗 ## Variants & Related Forms of Love Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Love. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name. * [Lo](/lo) * [Ludvig](/ludvig) 🎶 ## Names that sound like Love Phonetically similar names — useful when Love is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name. * Lov * [Luv](/luv) * Luve * Live * [Liv](/liv) * [Lev](/lev) * Leave * [Leve](/leve) * Lave * [Lav](/lav) * [Lieve](/lieve) * Liw Source: [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated. ❓ ## Frequently Asked Questions about Love What does the name Love mean? Love is the Swedish version of the French name Louis. It can also be a version of Lovisa, and can thus be used both for men and women, although it is more common with men. What is the origin of the name Love? Love has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: Swedish, English. How popular is Love in 2026? In 2026, Love ranks #737 among girls' names in the U.S., with 383 babies given the name that year. When was Love most popular? Love reached its peak popularity in 2022, ranking #731 that year with 386 babies given the name. In which U.S. states is Love most popular? Love has historically been most popular in New Mexico, Nevada, Georgia. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Love. Is Love a unisex name? Yes — Love is used for both girls and boys in U.S. records, with about 84% of Loves assigned female and 16% assigned male historically. What names go well with Love? Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Love include Lulie, Arthur, Willia. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data. What are nicknames or variants of Love? Common variants and related forms of Love include Lo, Ludvig. These cover foreign-language equivalents, alternate spellings, and short forms. ## Similar Names ### 👧 Similar Girl Names [👧LuliePeak #731](/lulie)[👧ArthurPeak #731](/arthur)[👧WilliaPeak #731](/willia)[👧EarleanPeak #731](/earlean) ### 👦 Similar Boy Names [👦WillianPeak #566](/willian)[👦WhitneyPeak #566](/whitney)[👦ZakaiPeak #566](/zakai)[👦BossPeak #567](/boss) ## About the name Love Love is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 5K births in the dataset. Love's peak popularity came in 2022 when it ranked #731\. Use the chart and map above to compare Love's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices. ### Continue exploring * [ Top names of 2022 → ](/year/2022) * [ Names of the 2020s → ](/decade/2020s) * [ Names starting with "L" → ](/letter/l) * [ Browse all girl names → ](/names/girls) * [ Top names of 2026 → ](/year/2026) * [ Browse unisex names → ](/names/unisex) Data sources * Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. [Social Security Administration ](https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/). 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 ](https://www.behindthename.com/) (used under their public API terms). * Meaning prose and editorial summary — [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/) article extracts, licensed under [CC BY-SA 3.0 ](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/). * Predicted nationality distribution — [Nationalize.io ](https://nationalize.io/). * Phonetically similar names — [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). 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.