My husband and I have loved the name Olivia for a long time but are a little scared off given that it’s the #1 name on all the charts (and has been for a few years). We started looking for names that had a similar feel and came across Clara/Claire, which we have been talking about for a while (you may have seen my post on deciding between the two).
Well now we have thrown another name into the mix - Liv (pronounced LIVE like “I live in this house”). I always thought this was just a nickname for Olivia but we discovered it’s actually a standalone Scandinavian name that originates from Norse mythology and has a lot of history to it. We are really loving the idea of a little Liv but of course, with any name, there are things to consider haha. These are my thoughts:
Some of the resources I’ve found say that “Liv” is actually pronounced “LEEV” in Nordic countries. As we are in Canada, we would be wanting to pronounce it “LIVE” as in “I live in this house”. Is it wrong or incorrect to pronounce it this way? Or is it expected that pronunciation of names varies depending on the region/country you are in and this is not a big deal? When you read the name Liv, which way do you intuitively pronounce it?
Somewhat related to the above, my husband and I are not Scandinavian. Our ancestry is mostly English, Irish, Scottish and Austrian. Is there any issue with selecting a name originating from a country that is not your background or you don’t have an ancestral connection to? Or is it common that people just select names they like, regardless of where they came from?
I am probably overthinking things but it’s such a big decision I want to be sure we’ve thought about everything Let me know what you think of the name Liv berries!! I’m going to see if I can figure out how to add a poll as well.
I love the standalone name Liv! (not short for Olivia)
Liv is not for me
I prefer the full name Olivia, even though it’s mega popular
I really like [name_f]Liv[/name_f] and where you are, I think it would be pronounced as you want it to be
I believe [name_f]Liv[/name_f] can also be consideres just an [name_f]English[/name_f] diminutive of [name_f]Olivia[/name_f] so I think you could use it
I love [name_f]Liv[/name_f] on it’s own, but if you like [name_f]Olivia[/name_f], I’d like to add the suggestion of [name_f]Livia[/name_f]! It’s not related to [name_f]Olivia[/name_f], but it does sound very similar and isn’t nearly so popular.
I do like [name_f]Liv[/name_f]! I think that a lot of people will assume it’s short for [name_f]Olivia[/name_f] in the US/UK. A lot of Olivia’s get shortened to Liv/Livvy so I think that the popularity issue you have still applies in a sense.
I love [name_f]Olivia[/name_f] nn “Liv.” I like [name_f]Liv[/name_f] as a full-name too, but I much prefer the melodic [name_f]Olivia[/name_f] and I think people will assume [name_f]Liv[/name_f] is short for [name_f]Olivia[/name_f] anyway. Plus, even if [name_f]Olivia[/name_f] is massively popular, I bet the nickname [name_f]Liv[/name_f] is pretty popular as well, but at any rate, she’d be going by [name_f]Liv[/name_f] mostly rather than [name_f]Olivia[/name_f].
I think Liv is fine on it’s own. Singer Steven Tyler’s daughter is Liv Tyler, she was a prominent character in the modern Lord of the Rings movies.
If you’re wanting a formal name, but don’t like the popularity of Olivia, how about:
Olive
Livina
Livinia
Violet
Or
Lily Isobel Veronica / any combo for Initials LIV
or just LV initials with NN Liv would work too
I really like it. I do think most people would assume it’s a shortened form of something, but that’s no great inconvenience. If you do want a longer form for the birth certificate to give a formal option, how about the less common [name_f]Olive[/name_f], [name_f]Olivet[/name_f] or [name_f]Olivine[/name_f]? There’s also [name_f]Oliviana[/name_f] or Olivietta. They’re a bit frilly for my tastes but I can understand why some would find them pretty.
What about [name_f]Livvy[/name_f] / [name_f]Livvie[/name_f]? [name_u]Or[/name_u] is that too nicknamey for you. I guess if the point is to give a longer more formal form as an alternative but be known as [name_f]Liv[/name_f], [name_f]Livvy[/name_f] though longer almost feels more nicknamey than [name_f]Liv[/name_f].
I like it, it’s relatively popular where I am (Europe) and it never sounded like a nickname to me. It’s quirky and lively and to-the-point without being cutesy; it’s not popular enough to sound dated in the future (which I think [name_f]Olivia[/name_f] will absolutely do in 20 years) but it’s recognisable enough to not cause too many misspellings or mispronunciations!
i like liv as a standalone name ! it isn’t really a nickname name to me. maybe you might also like livia ? it also is an established name, just more unusual compared to olivia - although the confusion with olivia might still pop up sometimes
I think [name_f]Liv[/name_f] is sweet! [name_f]Liv[/name_f] can be pronounced both leev and lihv, both make sense, for me I instinctively say it lihv. You’re definitely fine having a [name_f]Liv[/name_f] and not being Scandinavian because [name_f]Liv[/name_f] has multiple origins besides the Scandinavian one, and it’s present in a ton of countries, some not even in Europe so it’s an extremely multicultural name! I think [name_f]Liv[/name_f] is perfect for you guys
I love Liv! I know a little girl named Liv who isn’t Scandinavian (we’re in Australia) so I absolutely think it’s usable cross-culturally. Plus, Liv Tyler makes it familiar to people. And I think it’s normal to pronounce names a little differently depending on language/accent; the Liv I know pronounces it as you do, which is how I would intuitively say it as an English speaker. It’s such a cool, sleek name. I say go for it!
I love [name_f]Liv[/name_f]! And I am not even someone who usually likes such a short name, but [name_f]Liv[/name_f] has this sweetness and elegance to her, and I especially love that it means “life”. In fact, I think I love [name_f]Liv[/name_f] more than [name_f]Olivia[/name_f] itself. I associate this name with [name_f]Liv[/name_f] [name_u]Tyler[/name_u] (but somehow tend to imagine her in her character [name_f]Arwen[/name_f] from LOTR when I think of Liv) and I believe it could work pretty much anywhere, with or without Scandinavian ancestry.
I’m not the biggest fan of [name_f]Liv[/name_f]. I do think it could stand alone, but I would personally use it as a nickname.
Ideas that aren’t [name_f]Olivia[/name_f]:
[name_f]Alivia[/name_f]
[name_f]Lively[/name_f]
[name_f]Livi[/name_f]
[name_f]Livia[/name_f]
Livian
[name_f]Liviana[/name_f]
[name_f]Livie[/name_f]
[name_f]Oliva[/name_f]
[name_f]Olive[/name_f]
Olivianna
Olivienne
Othalive
Thanks everyone! I’m feeling pretty great about [name_f]Liv[/name_f], and we’ve officially added it to our “finals” list. I’m not too keen on the other longer names that have been suggested (i.e. [name_f]Livia[/name_f], [name_f]Livi[/name_f], [name_f]Olivette[/name_f], etc.). They are all really pretty, but for me, I think [name_f]Liv[/name_f] is stronger on its own and works well for a little girl and a mature woman when she’s older. That’s how I’m feeling tonight anyway LOL.
[name_f]Liv[/name_f] is one of my top girls names. I love it on its own. I have even met a teenager named [name_f]Liv[/name_f] and I think it suited her very well.
Let me know what you think of the name Liv berries!! I’m going to see if I can figure out how to add a poll as well.
