Baby Name Meanings
By Sophie Kihm · Updated September 2026
Across 6 pages
of 6
Greek, Germanic
"behold the sun; work, labor"
A pretty, if unusual choice for a summer baby, particularly a girl with an ancestor named Ida. An epithet of the goddess Aphrodite, Idalia is derived from the Greek place name Idalion. It may also be…
Variation of Solana
"sunny, sunshine"
A variation of rising star Solana, Solani is a sunny choice that likely draws inspiration from Hawaiian style names like Leilani and Kehlani. While it could mean "sunny" or "sunshine", you could say…
Persian or Greek
"sun or throne, or lord"
Cyra is an unusual name that can be pronounced either SEER-a or SI-ra, rhyming with Keira or Tyra. This name may be a feminine variation of Cyrus but is also a Persian name that stands on its own.…
Hindi
"sun god"
Graceful Indian choice that may sound feminine to the Western ear but is in fact the name of a male god. One form of worship of Surya that may be familiar to Westerners is the sun salutation in yoga.
Word name
Sunshine was seen as a quintessential hippie name of the 70s, reaching as high as Number 536 in 1975. Now such names are making a bit of a retro comeback, seen, for example, as a character on Glee .
Latin
"sun"
This female form of the ancient Latin Aelian has an appealing sound, though kids might have a hard time handling that initial "ae" spelling. Just remember that the "ae" is pronounced "ee" (think…
Hebrew
This name, once considered overly powerful due to the superhuman strength of the biblical figure, is now an option for parents in search of an unusual route to Sam. But you really don't need that p:…
English from Latin
"of the sun"
An English innovation based on Latin solaris "of the sun", or on its English cognate "solar". Toyota used it for one of its cars, and Mila Kunis played a character by the name in the 2010…
French
"solemn"
This is a soft, soignée French girls' name that has become familiar here via singer Solange Knowles, younger sister of Beyonce. It is also the name of a martyred ninth century saint, a poor…
Arabic, Serbian, Croatian, Slovene, Macedonian
"dew at sunrise; hope"
Concise Nada is a cross-cultural choice with pleasant meanings. In Arabic, it is derived from nadan meaning "dew, moisture", though other possible translations include "caller" and "goodness". As a…
Japanese
"chick"
Feminine variation of Apollo, Greek mythology name
"destroyer, strength; father's light"
This name of a third-century Christian martyr has an romantic, appealing feel in the modern world. It first came to American attention via Prince's love interest in the film Purple Rain . It could…
Variation of Eliana, Hebrew, or Latin from Greek
"my God has answered; sun"
Eliane is a melodic name with the very fashionable El- beginning. Lovely and lilting as it is, be aware that there are many El- variations around these days, and little girls called Ellie as a result.
Scandinavian
"sun gift"
Sunniva was an Irish-born saint who fled to Norway, where she hid in an island cave with her followers and eventually died. After miracles were reported on the island, the cave was excavated and…
"spring tree"
Japanese writer Haruki Murakami, well known in the U. S. , might inspire some namesakes. Haruki is a popular Japanese name meaning spring tree or bright tree, a lovely nature meaning combined with…
Spanish
"the sun"
More familiar to English speakers in the Italian Elio form.
Greek
The feminine form of Helios or Helio is occasionally heard in Spain and Portugal. In Greek mythology, Helia is one of the Heliades, daughters of the sun god Helios by Clymene the Oceanid.
Spelling variation of Solana, Spanish
"sunshine"
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. Solanna, by…
Roman
This little-known Ancient Roman name might make a fresh spin on the popular Ella, Ayla, Isla contingent. The "ae" is pronounced "ee" (think Aesop's fables). The Annals of Aeliana is a children's…
Egyptian
The name of the sun god of Egyptian mythology could only be used in combination with a longer name.
