User-created list
Luminous Names
Across 19 pages
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Fairlight
English
"beautiful light"
A rare but historic English name bestowed upon girls in the 19th century. Fairlight seems to have been particularly popular among baby girls in the Appalachian region of the US. It appeared as a…
Fairylight
English
"light of the fairies"
Calls to mind the twinkling strands of bulbs found during the winter holidays and in college dorm rooms.
Hala
Arabic
"moon halo"
A simple and seamlessly international choice with a joyful sound and beautiful meaning.
Hannelore
German
"grace + god is my light"
A pretty and substantial German smoosh name, a combination of Hanne and Eleonore. Most popular in Germany from the 1930s to the 1950s. Former German Chancellors Helmut Kohl and Helmut Schmidt both…
Hesper
Greek
"evening, evening star"
Hesper is a feminine form of Hesperus, the name of the Greek mythological personification of the Evening Star. The Hesperides are daughters of nymphs of the evening. Hesper may be related to the name…
Hespera
Greek
"evening, evening star"
Hespera is a variation of Hesperia, the feminine form of Hesperus. In Greek mythology, Hesperus is the Evening Star or the planet Venus. Hesperus is the son of the dawn goddess Eos or her Roman…
Hesperia
Greek
"evening, evening star"
Hesperia is the name of one of the Hesperides, known as the daughters of Hesperus or evening. Hesperus is the personification of the evening star in Greek mythology, better known as Venus in Roman…
Hester
Medieval variation of Esther, Persian
"star"
The disgraced heroine of The Scarlet Letter 's name, after long neglect, just might have a chance at revival, following in the wake of sister-name Esther. We've characterized her elsewhere as an…
Heulwen
Welsh
"sunshine"
A lesser-known Welsh name with a beautiful sunny meaning.
Hikari
Japanese
"light"
Light, bright unisex name. Hikari is more popular for girls in Japan these days.
Idalia
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…
Idalie
French and Swedish variation of Idalia, Greek
"behold the sun"
A warm, sunny, and extremely rare name, even within its native France. Idalie would be especially perfect to honor an Ida.
Ilma
Finnish, Hungarian, Spanish, or literary Quenya
"air; starlight"
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. Ilma also appears in…
Inara
Arabic, Basque, mythology, "shining light, enlightenment; sunray; goddess"
"shining light, enlightenment; sunray; goddess"
Inara is an appealing choice with multiple origins, currently in the Top 500 in the UK and the Netherlands. Gentle looking but bright in feel, it is also on the rise in the US, possibly owing to its…
Iridiana
Spanish, Greek
"rainbow"
Iridiana is a name, predominantly used in Mexico, used as an even more elaborate form of Iridián. Both of these names are related to the Greek name Iris, who in Greek mythology was the…
Itza
Variation of Itzel, Mayan
"rainbow lady"
Itza is a rare Itzel variant that shares its colorful meaning. Itza also connects to the Itza people of Guatemala and their language of the same name. Chichen Itza was a city built by the Mayans in…
Izar
Basque
"star"
A bright and sparky Basque name with a lovely celestial meaning.
Izara
Arabic, Basque, Hausa
"shawl; star; section of tree"
Attractive, rhythmic choice with roots in several languages and cultures. It's a lesser-known a celestial name, meaning "star" in Basque and referring to a star in the constellation Boötes in Arabic.
Jelena
Russian, Serbian, Croatian, Estonian
"light"
A pretty international form of Helena used in many Slavic languages, also sometimes spelled Yelena.
Kalinda
Hindi
"sun"
This lovely, rhythmic Hindu nature name relates to the mythical Kalinda Mountains, from which a sacred river flows. Kalinda Sharma is a major character on the TV show The Good Wife , making Kalinda…