Latvian given names follow clear grammatical patterns. Masculine names typically end in -s, -š, -is, or -us (Jānis, Mārtiņš, Pēteris), while feminine names usually end in -a or -e (Līga, Daina, Māra). Orthography is distinctive: long vowels and palatalized or sibilant consonants are marked with diacritics such as ā, ē, ī, ū, č, ģ, ķ, ļ, ņ, š, ž. International names are adapted to Latvian phonology and morphology, adding gendered endings and diacritics where needed (Aleksandrs, Kristīne, Elīna).
Historical layers are visible: Christianization and German contact introduced saints’ and Germanic names; in the 19th–20th centuries a national revival popularized native and folklore-based names. Themes from nature and traditional culture appear in names like Laima, Daina, Auseklis, and Līga. Hypocoristics are common in everyday speech but are rarely official. Name-day calendars strongly influence usage, and today international forms coexist with revived Latvian names, all conforming to Latvian spelling and endings.
| Name | Meaning | Origins | Gender | Popularity (last 10y) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Janis | God is gracious (from Hebrew Yochanan/John) | English, Latvian | Girl | 334 #1 | |
| Artis | Bear | Celtic, Latin, Latvian | Boy | 183 #2 | |
| Dace | Latvian feminine name of uncertain etymology; in English, 'dace' refers to a small freshwater fish. | English, Latvian | Girl | 126 #3 | |
| Maija | Related to Maia ('mother' or 'nurse') and to Maria (variously 'bitter', 'beloved'); also associated with the month of May | Estonian, Finnish, Latvian | Girl | 108 #4 | |
| Ezera | Possibly 'help' (Hebrew) or 'of the lake' (Baltic). | Latvian, Lithuanian | Unisex | 48 #5 | |
| Aia | Meaning varies by origin - a Basque place-name; in Japanese often associated with 'ai' (love) or poetic name constructions; in Hawaiian 'there is' / 'exists'. | Basque, Estonian, Hawaiian, Japanese, Latvian | Girl | 35 #6 | |
| Alessander | Defender of men / protector of mankind | Greek, Latvian | Boy | 27 #7 | |
| Aija | Derived from Latvian 'aijā', a soothing word used in lullabies - 'lullaby' / 'to rock/soothe' | Latvian | Girl | 26 #8 | |
| Vaira | More numerous | Latvian | Girl | 15 #9 | |
| Matiss | Gift of God | Latvian | Boy | 14 #10 | |
| Anda | Feminine form/diminutive of Andrew/Andreas meaning "manly, strong"; in some Albanian contexts associated with "dream" or "desire" | Albanian, Latvian, Romanian | Girl | 8 #11 | |
| Andris | Manly, masculine | Greek, Latvian | Boy | 7 #12 | |
| Anija | Grace; 'favored' | Latvian, Slavic | Girl | 6 #13 | |
| Arija | A name with multiple possible roots: from Sanskrit meaning 'noble' or 'honorable'; related to Hebrew/Persian Ari/Ariya meaning 'lion' or 'lioness'; and linked to Italian 'Aria' meaning 'air' or 'melody'. | Hebrew, Italian, Latvian, Persian, Sanskrit, Slavic | Girl | 5 #14 | |
| Laima | Luck; good fortune; fate; happiness | Latvian, Lithuanian | Girl | 5 #15 | |
| Agnija | Born of fire; pure | Greek, Latvian, Sanskrit, Serbian | Girl | — | |
| Aigars | Sharpness | Latvian | Boy | — | |
| aiva | Life, living | Latvian | Girl | — | |
| Aivars | Derived from Old Norse Ivarr, literally 'yew (bow) + warrior' - often interpreted as 'archer' or 'bow warrior'. | Latvian | Boy | — | |
| Aldys | From the root 'ald' meaning 'old, elder, venerable' - often interpreted as 'wise' or 'noble' | Latvian, Lithuanian | Boy | — | |
| Alekssandrs | Defender or protector of men | Greek, Latvian | Boy | — | |
| Ance | Grace, favor | Latvian | Girl | — | |
| Andis | Man; manly or brave (from Greek root meaning 'man') | Latvian | Boy | — | |
| Anšis | Divine protection / protected by God | Latvian | Boy | — | |
| Armands | Army man, soldier | Latvian | Boy | — | |
| Arnis | Derived from 'arn' meaning 'eagle' (sometimes interpreted as 'eagle ruler' via Arnold) | Latvian | Boy | — | |
| Arvīns | From Old Norse elements arn 'eagle' and viðr 'tree/wood' - roughly 'eagle (of the) wood/forest' or 'eagle tree'. | Latvian | Boy | — | |
| Atis | Uncertain - historically associated with the Phrygian vegetation god Attis | Latvian | Boy | — | |
| Aukusts | Venerable, majestic; derived from Augustus meaning 'great' or 'venerable'. | Latvian | Boy | — | |
| Baiba | Diminutive of Barbara, meaning "foreign" or "strange" (from Greek "barbaros") | Latvian | Girl | — | |
| Balsis | Voices / voice | Latvian | Unisex | — | |
| Biruta | Uncertain; historically associated with the Lithuanian priestess Birutė - exact original meaning is unclear. | Latvian, Lithuanian | Girl | — | |
| Dagnis | Day; daylight | Latvian | Boy | — | |
| Daina | From Latvian daina, meaning 'song' or a traditional Latvian folk song | Latvian | Girl | — | |
| Damjans | From Greek root meaning 'to tame, subdue' - 'tamer' | Latvian | Boy | — | |
| Edvīnsone | Literally 'daughter of Edvīns'; ultimately from Edwin meaning 'rich/prosperous friend' | Latvian | Girl | — | |
| Eidis | Uncertain - possibly related to Old Norse eiðr 'oath' or a Baltic diminutive/variant | Latvian | Boy | — | |
| Ervīns | Friend of the army | Latvian | Boy | — | |
| Evalds | Ruler of the law | Latvian | Boy | — | |
| Gunta | Battle | Latvian | Girl | — | |
| Guntars | Battle‑army; battle warrior | Latvian | Boy | — | |
| Guntis | Derived from a root meaning 'battle' or 'warrior' | Latvian | Boy | — | |
| Ievita | Little Eve - 'life' or 'living one' (from Eva/Eve) | Latvian | Girl | — | |
| Ilze | Pledged to God; 'God is my oath' | Latvian | Girl | — | |
| Ingara | Of/related to the god Ing - 'protected by' or 'belonging to Ing' | Latvian | Girl | — | |
| Ingeborga | Ing’s protection | Germanic, Latvian, Lithuanian, Polish | Girl | — | |
| Ingūna | Derived from the Norse theonym Ing (Yngvi) and Old Norse 'unn' meaning 'love' - 'beloved of Ing'. | Latvian | Girl | — | |
| Ivars | Yew warrior | Latvian | Boy | — | |
| Jurysa | Feminine form of Juris/Yuri (related to George) - 'farmer, earth-worker' | Latvian, Lithuanian | Girl | — | |
| Juta | Woman of Judea; 'Jewish woman' (also interpreted as 'praised') | Latvian | Girl | — |
Aggregated births across United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany for every Latvian-origin name in our dataset.
