Names That Mean Light

Popular in its native Latvia during the first half of the 20th century, Skaidrīte is a name with evocative imagery of bright, clear blue skies. Notable bearers include Latvian basketball player Skaidrīte Smildziņa-Budovska and Skaidrite Darius, the first woman to be employed by an Australian university to develop and manage electronic processing systems.

As well as Japanese physicist Hideki Yukawa, two Yankees ballplayers, Hideki Irabu and Hideki Matsui, made this name familiar to Americans.

Simple, delicate, and unusual.

This elaboration of the popular Noor and Nur combines the radiant Arabic name with the Persian suffix -an to form a name that suggests the bearer is comparable to light. Nouran and Nurana are alternative forms.

Blended name sometimes heard in the early decades of the twentieth century.

A multicultural choice, used in Southern Africa as a standalone name meaning "light", and as a rare German diminutive of Elisabeth.

Also appearing as Alyonushka and Alinoshka, Alionushka is a Russian diminutive of Alyona, itself a diminutive (though used as a given name). Ultimately, the name comes from the classic Helen and shares its bright meaning.

The name of the sweet human baby in the film Ice Age, Roshan is a handsome Persian name that is the origin of the female name Roxanne, via its feminine form Roshanak.

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

That difficult Ur- sound cancels out the feminine appeal of the rest of the name.

An elaboration of the popular Nur, Nuran is a name that suggests the bearer is comparable to light. Traditionally a feminine name, Nuran might also be used as a masculine name and it ranked in the Azerbaijan Top 100 for boys between 2015 and 2021.

Cute, nickname-y, and international, à la Romy or Demi. Spelling it Orly turns it into a busy French airport.

Problematic, even if not for Dilbert.

Solana has been trending up the Nameberry popularity charts, perhaps thanks to a legion of SZA fans. And it's poised to enter the US Top 1000 too, given to over 225 baby girls last year.

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.

Deriving from the Greek word phos meaning "light", Photine is a rare choice with a Biblical link. The name of the Samaritan woman in "Jesus and the Woman at the Well" (John 4), Photine is associated with Jesus's mercy and love, and with spreading the word of God.

This elaboration of the popular Noor and Nur combines the radiant Arabic name with the Persian suffix -an to form a name that suggests the bearer is comparable to light. Nuran and Nurana are alternative forms.

Deriving from the Greek word phos meaning "light", Photina is a variation of Photine, a rare choice with a Biblical link. The name of the Samaritan woman in "Jesus and the Woman at the Well" (John 4), Photine is associated with Jesus's mercy and love, and with spreading the word of God.

Beguiling cousin of Sahara.