Livia

LIV-ee-ah

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The name Livia means “blue, envious, or olive.” It comes from the Latin language tradition.

Livia was borne by Livia Drusilla, the powerful wife of Emperor Augustus and one of the most influential women in Roman history. The name may derive from 'livius' (bluish) or 'oliva' (olive). It has the crisp brevity of modern favorites like Olivia but with a more distinctive, historically weighty profile. A hidden gem among Latin names.

Wiktionary derives Livia as the feminine form of Livius, the name of a Roman plebeian gens. Wikipedia agrees it is a female derivative of the family name Livius, but gives the meaning as blue (Latin origin) or, alternatively, garland (Hebrew origin) — neither source supports the envious or olive glosses given elsewhere. Wikipedia also records the variant spelling Livija, used in Lithuania and Latvia.

Wikipedia confirms Livia was the wife of Emperor Augustus and, in its own words, the most powerful woman in the early Roman Empire; it adds that the name remains common today in Brazil, Italy, Spain, Argentina, Uruguay, Cuba, France, Romania, and Hungary.

• Livia Drusilla (wife of Emperor Augustus, most powerful woman in early Roman Empire)
• Livia Soprano (character from The Sopranos)

Sibling names that share Livia's rhythm and register without echoing it too closely.