In the U.S., most of the names given to baby girls end with a vowel sound. And many of the remaining names end with an N-sound.
So, what about girl names that end with other sounds?
Below is a selection of girl names that end with a V-sound, regardless of last letter. The names are ordered by current popularity.
Maeve
An Anglicized form of the Irish name Medb, meaning “intoxicating.” Here’s the popularity graph for Maeve.
Olive
From the type of tree. Here’s the popularity graph for Olive.
Genevieve
Based on the medieval name Genovefa (which belonged to a 5th-century French saint). Here’s the popularity graph for Genevieve.
Eve
From the Hebrew name Chavvah, which may mean “life.” Here’s the popularity graph for Eve.
Liv
A nickname for Olivia (or Olive). Here’s the popularity graph for Liv.
Love
From the English vocabulary word. Here’s the popularity graph for Love.
Dove
From the type of bird. Here’s the popularity graph for Dove.
Cove
From the English vocabulary word that refers to a small, sheltered bay. Here’s the popularity graph for Cove.
Neve
An Anglicized form of the Irish name Niamh, meaning “bright.” Here’s the popularity graph for Neve.
Brave
From the English vocabulary word. Here’s the popularity graph for Brave.
Aviv
A Hebrew word meaning “spring.” (It’s a component of Tel Aviv, the name of the city in Israel.) Here’s the popularity graph for Aviv.
Clove
From the type of spice. Here’s the popularity graph for Clove.
Arev
An Armenian word meaning “sun.” Here’s the popularity graph for Arev.
Reeve
From the English surname, which originally referred to a person employed as a reeve (“an official responsible for the administration of a manor”). Here’s the popularity graph for Reeve.
Believe
From the English vocabulary word. Here’s the popularity graph for Believe.
Less-common girl names that end with a V-sound include Merav, Tatev, Lyubov, Einav, Jasneev, Viv, and Wave.
Which of the above do you like most? What others can you think of?
Sources:
- SSA
- Behind the Name
- Hanks, Patrick, Simon Lenarcic and Peter McClure. (Eds.) Dictionary of American Family Names. 2nd ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 2022.
Good list, I like most of these.
I love Liv in the Scandinavian tradition, which sounds like “leev” and is a full name in its own right, not a short-i sound as in the nickname for Olivia. I had a college friend named Liv whose parents were from Norway. I also have a friend named Siv, which is a Finnish name, but it really ends with a f-sound, at least how she and her family said it, “seef”. Behind the Name doesn’t list the Finnish variant, but evidently it sounds like “seev” in Swedish and Danish.