Gender: Feminine
Origin: Slavic
Meaning: “love.”
Любовь
(Cz: lYOO-bah; Rus: lYOO-buf)
Ljuba is a fairly common female name found throughout the Eastern and Southern Slavic countries, it comes directly from the Slavic element, lyub, meaning, “love.”
There is a Russian counterpart, Lyubov and its diminutives include: Lyubasha, Lyubochka, Lubava, Luban, Lyubasya, Lyubchik, Lyubaha and Lyubonka.
Another Russian/Ukrainian feminine form is Luba Люба, sometimes transliterated as Lyuba.
A Polish form, though very rarely used these days, is Miłość (mee-WOSHCHE); and a rare translation which appears on the Polish calendar is Luba.
Designated name-days are: September 18 (Bulgaria).
Designated name-days are: February 16 (Czech Republic), July 16 (Czech Republic), September 24 (Slovakia).
Other forms of the name include:
- Ljubana/Ljubica (Croatian)
- Ljuba (Czech/Slovak/Slovene)
- Luba, Lubosza, Miłość (Polish; Luba is also used in Bulgaria and Georgia)
- Ljubinka (Serbian)
- L’ubica (Slovak)
- Ljubka (Slovene)
Masculine forms include: the Czech/Slovak Luboš and the Serbian Ljubinko.
Sources
I’m pretty sure that the Polish name Miłość is feminine only. It’s one of the few feminine Polish names that don’t end in the leter A.
Thanks Magdalena. I’ll change that as soon as I get back home 🙂
Sorry to be such a pest with all my comments all the time. I don’t have anything to show you as a reference for this name and Polish language wiki lists it without a reference as well. I can tell you that the saints Faith, Hope, and Love are called Wiara, Nadzieja and Miłość in Polish. The name is not even listed in the name book I have because it’s so rare and the book is not that comprehensive.
Don’y worry about it. You are not pesting me at all. I appreciate the thoughtful commments and I don’t think my site woul;d be the same with everyone contributing somethin for which I am highly grateful.