girl's name
Livia
LEE-vya
- Origin Latin
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 3
- Letters 5
- Popularity Top 1000 (France)
- Births on record 31,929
the United States
#819
2025 births
Livia is a girl's name of Latin origin, a Roman family name usually connected to livere, meaning to be blue or envious, though the olive tree is often given instead. It ranks fiftieth in France and is well used across Britain.
- Livia is a name of Latin origin.
- Peaked in France in 2022, when 910 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade in France.
- Today about 1 in 710 babies in France is given this name.
- First appears in birth records in 1904.
- 3 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Livia over time
Births per decade in France, 1900s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1900s | 20 |
| 1910s | 20 |
| 1920s | 75 |
| 1930s | 70 |
| 1940s | 30 |
| 1950s | 50 |
| 1960s | 80 |
| 1970s | 140 |
| 1980s | 495 |
| 1990s | 505 |
| 2000s | 1,020 |
| 2010s | 5,615 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 4,930 |
What Livia means
Livia means blue, or envious, in the derivation from the Latin livere. A competing reading connects it to oliva, the olive, which is the gloss most reference sites prefer because it is the more appealing one.
Where Livia comes from
Livia is the feminine of the Roman gens name Livius, borne by the historian Livy. The usual derivation is from livere, to be bluish or leaden, which also gives the English livid; the sense of envy came later, from the pallor associated with it. The alternative connection to oliva, olive, is widely repeated but weaker. Its principal bearer is Livia Drusilla, wife of Augustus and mother of Tiberius, one of the most powerful women of the Roman world and a figure of considerable ambiguity in Tacitus and in Robert Graves. The name is distinct from Olivia, which Shakespeare appears to have coined for Twelfth Night, though the two are constantly conflated.
Livia in use
Livia ranks fiftieth in France with about 835 births in 2025 and travels better than most names at this level: 542 in England and Wales, 440 in Scotland, and presence in Northern Ireland. Our records carry it from 1906. It is frequently assumed to be a short form of Olivia, but the two names are separate, and ours are counted separately in every register we use.
How popular is Livia?
In 2025, Livia was given to 830 babies in France, ranking #50 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Livia is used
French counts are rounded to the nearest five and nothing below five is published, so these figures show the shape of the name's use rather than an exact tally. Data & sources.
How Livia is spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Livïa | Livïa is a rare spelling of Livia, written with a diaeresis and recorded about 10 times, mostly in France. | 10 |
| Lïvia | Lïvia is a rare spelling of Livia, written with a diaeresis and recorded about 5 times, mostly in France. | 5 |
| Lívia | Lívia is a rare spelling of Livia, written with a fada and recorded 4 times, mostly in Ireland. | 4 |
Names that peaked alongside Livia
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Livia also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Livia over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Livia in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Livia
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Livia — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Livia
What does the name Livia mean?
Usually "blue" or "envious," from the Latin livere. Some sources give "olive" instead.
Is Livia short for Olivia?
No. They are separate names, though constantly conflated. Olivia appears to have been coined by Shakespeare.
Who was Livia Drusilla?
The wife of Augustus and mother of Tiberius, one of the most powerful women of the Roman world.
How popular is Livia?
Fiftieth in France and 542nd in England and Wales.
Is Livia a girl's or a boy's name?
Livia is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Livia?
Livia has 3 syllables.
Is Livia a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Livia currently ranks #50 in France. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.