Luminous Names

A sweet Cornish word name with a celestial meaning.

This beautiful Breton saint's name peaked at #127 in France in 2006. It's still in the Top 500 there today, but remains almost unknown outside of France.

Solstice graduated from word to official first name when author Lionel Shriver used it for a character in her novel Big Brother. But of course, there were people named Solstice before: 16 baby girls were given the name in the US in 2021, and it was last on the charts for boys in 2018, when six baby boys got the name.

A surprisingly modern word name, only recorded since the 20th century, Solaris is also the title of a 1961 science fiction novel by Polish author Stanisław Lem, which has been adapted for the big screen several times. An unexpected route to Sol or Solly as nicknames.

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

Lainie is a nickname for Elaine that has been in the public eye via Lainie Kazan (that was her full given name), who was a popular singer in the 1960s and 1970s (she was Barbra Streisand's understudy in "Funny Girl"), and then became a motherly character actress. We still find Lainie a bit flimsy for a full first name.

In its mid-20th century heyday, Deedee -- or Didi or Dede -- was not infrequently used as a name in its own right. It's a cute, or maybe cutesy, short form of names like Deanne.

Pretty Victorian-feeling cousin of Ariel; also, more prosaically, a kind of bay window.

Zvezda, which means star in several Slavic languages, is a traditional established name in Eastern Europe and Russia. While names with celestial meanings have an intrinsic appeal, that initial Zv may be difficult for English speakers to wrap their tongues around.

Truly original yet not strange name ripe for the plucking by the adventurous baby namer. Aurelius works too.

A pretty Kazakh name derived from Turkish ayla, meaning "moonlight". The Hawaiian name 'Ailana (with the 'okina mark) means "loving".

A strong and striking Urdu name found especially in Pakistan, with a wonderfully evocative meaning.

Means "moonlight" in Tamazight.

This lovely compound name blends two of the most stylish girl names of the moment. The result has a pretty and sophisticated sound, reminiscent of stylish rarities like Evelina.

Names ending with O are popular, but this one is almost unheard-of. Faro has the advantages of being easy to spell and pronounce (unless it's confused with Pharaoh), and a bright meaning. Ultimately it comes from Pharos, the island where the great Lighthouse of Alexandria was built, and there's a district and city in Portugal called Faro. Be aware: it's also the name of a gambling card game, highly popular in the nineteenth century before poker took over.

The Titan of the dusk in Greek mythology, husband of Eos (Dawn) and father of the four Anemoi (Winds), as well as the goddess Astraea. The name is derived from Greek "aster", meaning "star".

This appealing Russian/Nordic name has been used a handful of times since Eowyn Ivey's novel The Snow Child was published in 2012. There, Faina is a mysterious girl who loves the cold Alaskan woods.

A name that's unknown in the US and Britain but is popular as a nature name in Finland. May also be known as a Hungarian variation of Amelia and a Spanish form of Wilhelmina.

This Danielle/Monique hybrid offers a new twist on an old favorite.

Lumen is a Latin word meaning "light", and the term used for the measurement of light output (making it an attractive choice for science-buffs).