Names That Mean Hope

An epithet of the sun and the Hindu god Shiva, also borne by a 12th century Indian astronomer. Bhaskar, a common Indian surname, is related.

Male name that seems feminine enough to switch genders, if you're looking for a new lyn spin.

Simple, delicate, and unusual.

The usual form of Eleonara is Eleanora, with each syllable pronounced, but transposing, adding, or subtracting a vowel or syllable here or there works fine and adds to the international, feminine spin on a solid name.

Norse god who's the son of light plus historic diplomat Dag Hammarskjöld and author Dag Solstad combine to boost this Nordic name's appeal, but this could be difficult in English-speaking countries where the obvious tease will be "daggy Dag."

A li'l hell-raiser name in the Ryder-Rogue-Rebel vein.

A word name with an appealing and illuminating meaning.

A gentle and warm sounding choice, with an uplifting meaning, Amela is the Bosnian form of the popular Arabic name, Amal. It was a Top 100 choice in Bosnia and Herzegovina until 2015 and is occasionally used as a short of of Amelia in Scandinavia.

A positive name from mythology, given to the hope left in Pandora's box.

Ireti is a name of Yoruba origin, predominantly used in Nigeria. Translating to "hope" or "expectance", it is sometimes used as a short form of Iretioluwa meaning "the expectance of God" or Iretiayo meaning "expecting joy". Notable bearers include Nigerian politician and civil engineer Ireti Kingibe, fashion-entrepreneur Iretidayo "Ireti" Zaccheaus, and actress Iretiola "Ireti" Doyle.

The Modern Greek form of Elpis. A lovely meaning with a sound reminiscent of vintage names like Elmira and Elvira, this name could nod to Greek heritage... or simply to hope.

Has a nice fresh, early morning meaning, but not the most mellifluous of sounds. Also spelled Arpineh.

There are many lovely day/month/seasonal names -- and this is one of the most intriguing.

Appreciated by religious Jews for its connection to "Hatikva," the Israeli national anthem.

A Mongolian word name, Solongo is a rare name with a beautiful and colorful meaning. The pronunciation would likely be unintuitive to English speakers, however, it is is pronounced saw-zhong, said softly.