User-created list
Luminous Names
Across 19 pages
of 19
Aliona
Russian
"bright shining light"
A light and lovely Russian diminutive of Yelena (Helena), now used in its own right in Russia. Also spelt Alyona.
Alohi
Hawaiian
"shining, brilliant"
Just one letter separates Alohi from the famous Hawaiian greeting "aloha," but that one letter makes all the difference.
Alpenglow
German, “the rosy light of the setting or rising sun on high mountains”
Altalune
Latin
"over the moon"
Altalune is an invention used by Uma Thurman and Arpad Busson as one of several middle names for their daughter. It's evocative Latin meaning roughly translates to "over the moon." Celebrity baby…
Annelore
German
"grace + god is my light"
Variant of Hannelore
Apollonia
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…
Apricity
Latin
"the warmth of the sun in winter"
Part-April, part-Felicity, but with the wonderfully whimsical feel of Serendipity. Apricity debuted in the US charts for the first time in 2022.
Arpi
Armenian
"sun, ether"
Arpi is a rising ethereal name in Armenia, where it is a poetic word for "sun".
Artemis
Greek mythology
"safe; butcher"
Artemis, one of the key figures of the female Greek pantheon, is the ancient virgin goddess of the hunt, wilderness, animals, childbirth, and a protector of young girls, later associated with the…
Asahi
Japanese
"morning sun"
Bright, just like its meaning.
Aster
English; Amharic
"star"
This is a fresh new addition to the botanical list; comedian Gilbert Gottfried made it a real bouquet when he named his daughter Lily Aster. And the name of the little girl on television's Dexter…
Asterope
Greek
"lightning"
Asterope is an undiscovered name that has three wonderful nature connotations: 1) (from its meaning) lighting; 2) it is a type of butterfly 3) it is the name of an asteroid. Asterope is a great name…
Astra
Latin
"stars"
A starry-eyed, intergalactic name, far rarer than Stella or Esther. It's attached both to a comic book character and to Princess Astra on "Doctor Who".
Astraia
Greek
"star"
Astraia -- or Astraea or Asteria -- is the Greek goddess of justice and innocence who became the constellation Virgo. While largely unknown today, this is one of the Greek goddess names that may be…
Aurelie
French variation of Aurelia, Latin
"the golden one"
Aurelie is the delicate French variation of Aurelia, one of the most improbable popular names of recent years. Both versions of the name are lovely, but it might be difficult to insist that Americans…
Aurembiaix
Aragonese
"from the lower golden land"
Aurembiaix was an impressive medieval countess, whose father Ermengol fought for her to inherit his lands, title and estate. Aurembiaix later fought for her right to succeed her father, and being a…
Auretta
Italian
"light wind"
A pretty addition to the Au-girl names like Audrey, Aurora and Autumn. The beginning Aur syllable, which often relates to gold, makes this an appropriate and one of the more unusual names for autumn…
Aurian
Literary name inspired by Latin
"gold, dawn or breeze"
The eponymous character of the fantasy novel Aurian by Maggie Furey. It may have been inspired by the Latin aurum "gold", or by names like Aurora ("dawn") or Aura ("breeze"), also derived from the…
Auriel
Latin
"gold"
Auriel is a Roman name that was revived during the nineteenth-century craze for unique names . Could make an interesting substitution for the popular Aurora or Ariel.
Aynur
Turkish
"moonlight"
Derived from the Turkish ay , meaning "moon," and the Arabic nur , meaning "light", Aynur is familiar in Turkey and a popular choice in Azerbaijan. With its beautiful meaning and blend of popular…