Liv is a girl name with a modern feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Liv means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Liv across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Liv has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Liv is a girl name of Old Norse origin meaning “life or protection”. A Scandinavian name, also a short form of Olivia.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 6,901 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 440 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 50 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 49 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Liv per year, United States (1956 to 2025). United States peaked in 2017 (437/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 2015 (32/yr) · Ireland peaked in 2020 (6/yr) · Scotland peaked in 2020 (6/yr).
Liv is an uncommon baby name in the United States. It was most common in 2017, when it ranked #1,265 nationally (given to 459 babies that year).
Levi · Livia · Love · Leif · Lev · Livvy · Leva · Levy
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