LANI: Hawaiian for "sky." An enchanting name for the islands. Check your Hawaiian dictionary for other possibilities. Namesake: Kay Lani Rae.
LARK: From the songbird of that name. A colloquialism, "to lark" means to frolic about enthusiastically. Relatives: Larkin, Lrikin. Namesakes: Philip Larkin, Barry Larkin, Meadowlark Lemon.
LATIMER: From the Middle English for "interpreter." Relative: Lattimore. Namesakes: Hugh Latimer.
LAURA: Latin for "laurel leaves." Laurel leaves have long been a symbol of honor, victory, and academic excellence. Relatives: Laure, Lora, Lori, Lorna, Laurie, Lorry, Laurel, Lauren, Lauryn, Lorin, Laurin, Loryn, Laureen, Laurena, Lauretta, Laurette, Lorina, Lorene, Lauriette, Loretta, Lorette, Lorita, Lorenza, Lor, Lola. Namesakes: Laura Ingalls Wilder, Lauren Bacall, Lauren Hutton, Loretta Lynn, Lori Singer.
LAVERNE: From the Old French for "from the alder grove" and Latin ofr "springlike." Relatives: Laverna, La Verne, Verna, Verne, Lally. Namesake: "Laverne and Shirley."
LAVINIA: From the Latin for "purity." Relatives: Lavine, Lavin. Namesakes: a character in Virgil's Aeneid, Lavinia Dickinson.
LAWRENCE: Latin for "laurel crown." Although Lawrence was always one of the fifty most popular names in the United States in the early 1900s, it peaked at number fifteen in 1940, and slipped off in the 1980s. The interesting variations are well wqorth browsing through. Relatives: Laurence, Lawrance, Lorenz, Loren, Laurens, Lorin, Lorcan, Lon, Lonnie, Loring, Lawford, Lawley, Lawton, Lawler, Laughton, Lawry, Larry, Laurent, Lorenzo, Lauritz, Lorne, Lawson, Lars, Larson, Larkin, Labhras. Namesakes: Saint Lawrence, Lorenzo de Medici, Lawrence Welk, Sir Laurence Olivier, Lawrence of Arabia, Lorenz Hart, Lorenzo Lamas.