Given name & surname
Life
“a beloved heir”·“woman of the forest”
Life is a variant of Leif. One Scandinavian interpretation is “a beloved heir.” In English use, Life is a variant of Leaf. One American interpretation is “woman of the forest.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Life is a variant of Leif. One Scandinavian interpretation is “a beloved heir.” In English use, Life is a variant of Leaf. One American interpretation is “woman of the forest.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Life is a variant of Leif. An origin associated with Leif is Old Norse. In English use, Life is a variant of Leaf. An origin associated with Leaf is American.
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 2003. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Life through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 84
- 62 boys · 22 girls
- Most popular year
- 2014
- 13 babies
- 2025
- 6
- #11,467 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 6 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 11,467 among boys’ names. The recent annual counts are too incomplete to establish a ten-year comparison. Its largest published annual count for boys was 8 in 2003. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 183 as a first name in 2020; 645 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Life’s family of names
Life has a related form in Leif. In English usage, Life as a surname has a related form in Leaf.
The ring: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 2
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Similar names
If you love Life, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Arjun
Arjun is used as a given name and a surname. One Sanskrit interpretation is “white: the colour of dawn, lightning, milk, and silver.”
>99% boys
Colwyn
“from the river” · “from the river in Wales”
>99% boys
Jaden
“resembling the green gemstone”
97% boys · 3% girls
Aziel
“of the dry earth; resembling the flower” · “one who is spared by God”
99% boys · 1% girls
Leiden
>99% boys
Lorde
“one who has authority and power”
84% boys · 16% girls
Liiam
>99% boys
Lyjah
>99% boys