70+ Beautiful, Breathtaking Baby Names That Mean Life

Naming anything can be tough, whether it’s a baby or just a character or pet. But becoming a steward of an entire tiny human and deciding what to call that wonder can be exponentially more challenging. When you’re staring down at that little life swaddled in your arms, you might be struggling to find a name that holds as much meaning as their existence means to you. Well, names that mean life might hold the answer.

Among the many names that mean life, there are some really great choices. For boys, we love the name Caner. It’s Turkish and translates to “brave man’s life.” You want your little boy to be brave, right? We also love how it calls to mind other “-er” names like Connor or Carter, without sounding or looking exactly like every name on the roster. Similarly, the English name Daxon sure sounds a lot like the recently popular Jax or Jackson. However, this name means “life-giving water” and reminds us of our favorite actor, Dax Shepard.

For girls, there are just as many great choices when you think of names that mean life. Aoibbhe and Aoife start similarly enough but come from slightly different areas and hold different meanings. Aoibbhe means “beautiful life” and looks like it could be a Gaelic spelling for “Abbie” but is pronounced much differently and sounds closer to “Ava.” Aoife, meanwhile, is pronounced closer to Eva or “ee-fuh.” It means “one who gives life” and is the name of a famous folk singer who often appears on NPR (Aoife O’Donovan).

Of course, there are no wrong answers when it comes to naming your babe. If that tiny being brought light during a dark time in your life, a name that means light might also work. Or, if you birthed them in or near the water, perhaps you want a name that means water. Sure, some names might earn you a quirked brow or a double-take, like names that are hard to pronounce. But as long as you love the name, isn’t that all that matters?

Keep reading to see if any of the following names that mean life resonate with you.

Boy Names That Mean Life

1. Achaz

Origin: Hebrew Meaning: God’s way of life

1. Anastasius

Origin: Greek Meaning: rebirth or resurrection

1. Ankur

Origin: Hindi Meaning: new life

1. Asher

Origin: Hebrew Meaning: one who lives a happy life

1. Beathan

Origin: Scottish Gaelic Meaning: life

1. Bion

Origin: Ancient Greek Meaning: life

1. Calian

Origin: Indigenous Meaning: warrior of life

1. Can

Origin: Turkish Meaning: life or soul

1. Caner

Origin: Turkish Meaning: brave man’s life

1. Chaim

Origin: Hebrew Meaning: life

1. Dagian

Origin: English Meaning: dawn

1. Daxon

Origin: English Meaning: life-giving water

1. Ercan

Origin: Turkish Meaning: brave man’s life

1. Fajr

Origin: Arabic Meaning: dawn, or new life

1. Genesis

Origin: Biblical Meaning: origin

1. Hale

Origin: English Meaning: healthy in life

1. Harshavardhan

Origin: Hindu Meaning: lover of life

1. Hava

Origin: Hebrew Meaning: alive

1. Inizio

Origin: Italian Meaning: new beginning

1. Janus

Origin: Ancient Roman Meaning: refers to the first month of the year

1. Juro

Origin: Japanese Meaning: longevity of life

1. Omri

Origin: Biblical Hebrew Meaning: life, or servant

1. Phoenix

Origin: Greek Mythology Meaning: reincarnation

1. Sura Oighrig

Origin: Indigenous Meaning: new life

1. Umar

Origin: Arabic, Urdu Meaning: populous, flourishing, derived from Arabic عمر (umr) meaning “life”

1. Vian

Origin: English Meaning: full of life

1. Vidal

Origin: Hebrew Meaning: life

1. Vihaan

Origin: Sanskrit Meaning: the beginning of an era

1. Vitale

Origin: Italian Meaning: of life, vital

1. Vitus

Origin: Ancient Roman Meaning: life

1. Yeong-Su

Origin: Korean Meaning: long life

1. Zoticus

Origin: Ancient Greek Meaning: full of life

Girl Names That Mean Life

1. Aisha

Meaning: Arabic Origin: life

1. Aizza

Origin: Hebrew Meaning: life

1. Alba

Origin: Spanish, Italian Meaning: dawn, new life

1. Anastasia

Origin: Russian Meaning: resurrection, new life

1. Aoibbhe

Origin: English Meaning: beautiful life

1. Aoife

Origin: Irish Meaning: one who gives life

1. Asha

Origin: Swahili Meaning: life

1. Aurora

Origin: Ancient Roman Meaning: dawn, or new life

1. Ausra

Origin: Lithuanian Meaning: dawn, or new life

1. Ava

Origin: German Meaning: life

1. Ayelet

Origin: Hebrew Meaning: dawn, or new life

1. Beatrixe

Origin: English Meaning: explorer through life

1. Betha

Origin: Hebrew Meaning: life

1. Cansu

Origin: Turkish Meaning: water of life

1. Chae-Won

Origin: Korean Meaning: beginning

1. Chizue

Origin: Japanese Meaning: a person with a long life

1. Dawn

Origin: English Meaning: dawn

1. Eawa

Origin: Hebrew Meaning: “Related to life”

1. Eba

Origin: Hebrew Meaning: “The origin of life”

1. Eiji

Origin: Japanese Meaning: “A person with eternity” and “cheerful”

1. Ella

Origin: English/Danish Meaning: “One who enjoys life” or a “beautiful fairy”

1. Elu

Origin: Hebrew Meaning: “A person whose life is full of grace”

1. Enid

Origin: Welsh Meaning: soul, or life

1. Eva

Origin: Italian Meaning: life

1. Evalyn

Origin: English Meaning: to live

1. Evette

Origin: French Meaning: life

1. Evika

Origin: English Meaning: “A little one who has given her life for everything”

1. Hisa

Origin: Japanese Meaning: long-lasting life

1. Hiwot

Origin: Amharic Meaning: life

1. Kia

Origin: African Meaning: new beginnings or season’s beginning

1. Luljeta

Origin: Albanian Meaning: flower of life

1. Noema

Origin: Greek Meaning: new moon

1. Nurcan

Origin: Turkish Meaning: bright soul, or light of life

1. Nyssa

Origin: Greek Meaning: new beginning

1. Oriella

Origin: Latin Meaning: full of life

1. Renata

Origin: Spanish Meaning: reborn

1. Renee

Origin: French Meaning: reborn

1. Wahuj

Origin: Arabic Meaning: new beginning

1. Zera

Origin: Hebrew Meaning: new beginning

1. Ziva

Origin: Hebrew Meaning: lively

1. Zoe

Origin: Greek Meaning: life