Fun Facts About the Name Liv
- More than 6 thousand babies named Liv: U.S. records list 6,899 babies given the name Liv from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Liv Mean?
Liv is a Scandinavian given name taken from the Old Norse word líf, which means "life." That word comes from Proto-Germanic *lībą, the same source as Old English līf and the modern English word "life." Liv therefore belongs to the group of Scandinavian names formed directly from an everyday word rather than from a saint's name or a two-element Germanic compound.
In English-speaking countries, Liv is also used as a short form of Olivia, and occasionally of Livia. In that use it has no separate etymology of its own: it simply shortens a longer name whose origin is usually traced to Latin oliva, "olive." That English nickname habit is unrelated to the Scandinavian name, which means "life."
Liv Name History & Origins
The name appears in Norse mythology as the Old Norse Líf, the name of a woman in the poem Vafþrúðnismál in the Poetic Edda. There Líf and a man named Lífþrasir are said to hide in a wood called Hoddmímis holt and survive Ragnarök, afterward repopulating the world. This is a literary and mythological use, and it shows the word líf functioning as a personal name in Old Norse tradition.
In Norway, Denmark, and Sweden the same word is the ordinary term for "life" (Norwegian and Danish liv, Swedish liv, Icelandic líf), and Liv has long been used as a given name in those countries, drawn straight from the common noun. It entered English-speaking use in the 20th century, where it also became a familiar shortening of Olivia. The Norwegian actress Liv Ullmann is a well-known bearer of the traditional Scandinavian name.
How Popular is the Name Liv?
Liv recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 2017. Its best rank was #665 in 2020.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #896 | 296 | 0.0184% |
| 2024 | #874 | 308 | 0.0191% |
| 2023 | #702 | 405 | 0.0253% |
| 2022 | #729 | 400 | 0.0244% |
| 2021 | #686 | 424 | 0.0259% |
| 2020 | #665 | 432 | 0.0267% |
| 2019 | #668 | 434 | 0.0259% |
| 2018 | #681 | 429 | 0.0252% |
| 2017 | #672 | 437 | 0.0253% |
| 2016 | #697 | 414 | 0.0234% |
| 2015 | #719 | 396 | 0.0222% |
| 2014 | #784 | 357 | 0.0200% |
| 2013 | #927 | 274 | 0.0156% |
| 2012 | #1,061 | 237 | 0.0135% |
| 2011 | #951 | 270 | 0.0154% |
| 2010 | #1,238 | 195 | 0.0110% |
| 2009 | #1,369 | 174 | 0.0095% |
| 2008 | #1,727 | 129 | 0.0068% |
| 2007 | #1,996 | 103 | 0.0054% |
| 2006 | #2,280 | 84 | 0.0044% |
| 2005 | #1,978 | 97 | 0.0052% |
| 2004 | #1,731 | 112 | 0.0061% |
| 2003 | #2,157 | 81 | 0.0044% |
| 2002 | #3,224 | 44 | 0.0024% |
| 2001 | #4,155 | 30 | 0.0017% |
| 2000 | #3,627 | 36 | 0.0020% |
| 1999 | #6,705 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1998 | #5,966 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 1997 | #10,382 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1996 | #10,133 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1995 | #10,124 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1994 | #10,127 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1992 | #11,180 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1991 | #10,973 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1990 | #12,262 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1987 | #10,638 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1985 | #7,987 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1984 | #8,699 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1983 | #7,050 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1982 | #4,109 | 19 | 0.0011% |
| 1981 | #5,762 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1980 | #5,747 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1979 | #3,729 | 21 | 0.0013% |
| 1978 | #4,000 | 18 | 0.0012% |
| 1977 | #4,547 | 15 | 0.0010% |
| 1976 | #4,257 | 15 | 0.0010% |
| 1975 | #3,460 | 20 | 0.0014% |
| 1974 | #3,171 | 22 | 0.0015% |
| 1973 | #4,493 | 13 | 0.0009% |
| 1972 | #9,024 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1969 | #8,111 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1958 | #6,615 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1956 | #6,481 | 5 | 0.0002% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
