Names That Mean Brilliant
Single page list
The names
Wilbur
English, German
"wild boar"
Clunky yet cuddly, Wilbur is a stylish name in the UK where it currently sits in the Top 600, as cool as Rupert or Wilfred. Its merits are starting to be rediscovered in the US, where it was last…
Lambert
French and German
"land brilliant"
Ancient saint's name used for cowardly cartoon lion.
Sana
Arabic
"mountaintop, splendid, brilliant"
One of the most easily imported Arabic names.
Cuthbert
English
"famous, brilliant"
Years ago we might have said that this name was unthinkable, but with clunky, old-fashioned names being so popular right now — consider Augustus, Stanley, Wilfred, etc — what's to stop Cuthbert from…
Feivel
Yiddish
"brilliant one"
This comes from Faivish, the Yiddish form of Phoebus, the Greek sun god...and it's also the little mouse in "An American Tail."
Filbert
German
"very brilliant"
Like Norbert and Hubert, feels terminally dated -- in addition to which it's a nut.
Heller
German
"bright, brilliant"
A li'l hell-raiser name in the Ryder-Rogue-Rebel vein.
Osbert
English
"divinely brilliant"
Some cutting-edge parents might revive Osbert as a substitute for Oscar. We like the "divinely brilliant" meaning. Cool or terminally nerdy? Your call. Osbert Sitwell, born Francis Osbert Sacheverell…
Phoebus
Greek
"shining, brilliant"
One of the names of the sun god Apollo, this is better known in its feminine form, Phoebe. Rarely used as a given name, perhaps owing to the clunky end sound, it might work as a unique alternative to…
Thanh
Vietnamese
"bright blue; brilliant"
A common Vietnamese name heard evenly for boys and girls in the U.S. Sounds like tahn or tong, depending on what part of Vietnam you come from.
Thanh
Vietnamese
"bright blue; brilliant"
A common Vietnamese name heard for both boys and girls in the U.S.
Zelmira
Neapolitan blend of Arabic, Slavic, Latin influences. "brilliant one; one who wish for peace"
"brilliant one; one who wish for peace"
This name belongs to the eponymous heroine of Rossini's opera Zelmira (1822) about a (fictional) princess of Lesbos who saves her father and husband and her kingdom. As a name, it may well be viewed…
Alohi
Hawaiian
"shining, brilliant"
Just one letter separates Alohi from the famous Hawaiian greeting "aloha," but that one letter makes all the difference.
Vasu
Sanskrit
"excellent, brilliant"
An Indian boy name with an appealing meaning.
Fulgencio
Spanish, variation of Fulgentius
"shining, brilliant"
A male Spanish given name derived from the Latin name Fulgentius.
Zahi
Arabic
"beautiful, brilliant"
A short and bright Arabic name with that zippy Z initial.
Bahira
Arabic
"dazzling, brilliant"
A pretty Arabic possibility which would work well in many languages.
Cuddy
Diminutive of Cuthbert
"famous, brilliant"
Cuthbert is unlikely to make a comeback anytime soon, so Cuddy too may be lost to history.
Eibhlin
Irish form of Aveline and Evelyn, German
"desired; or water, island"
The Irish Gaelic form of Evelyn or Aveline, this name is more authentically spelled Eibhlín. It appears in the title of a love song by 17th century composer Cearbhall Óg Ó Dálaigh, called Eibhlín a…
