Luminous Names

Aaron is a name of subtle contrasts: an unusual spelling that is easily recognizable; a solid Biblical choice that doesn’t feel exclusively tied to religion; a well-established name for boys but sometimes confused with the girls’ name, Erin; used internationally but with notably different pronunciations; classic like Andrew but not out of place with recent favorites like Weston or Jayden.

Adaluna is the ultra-stylish smoosh name that nobody's caught onto yet. It's a one-of-a-kind compromise if you're deciding between Ada or Adeline and Luna. But despite its modern appearance, Adaluna has ancient roots. The Roman name for England's River Lune was Adaluna, probably due to its crescent-like shape. The similar name Adeluna is believed to be a variation of Adelina.

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 fantasy series by Ryan Watters. The meaning is thought to derive from the Greek helios, or sun.

This character name from the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas has an ancient appeal, even though it seems to be a modern coinage. It may have been inspired by similar sounding names, like the Turkish Aylin ("of the moon") or the Irish Eileen, a form of Helen or Aveline.

This Roman family — whose most famous bearer was Emperor Hadrian, of wall fame — possibly derives from Greek helios, meaning sun.

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

Irish Aileen and Scottish Eileen may be pronounced the same way or Aileen can be pronounced with a long a at the beginning. While neither is particularly stylish, Aileen is slightly more popular and has reversed its downward slide to inch upward in the past few years, perhaps thanks to its stylish A beginning. Nicknames for Aileen include Isla, Ayla, Lee and Lena.

An attractive Scandinavian take on Helga, or a potential Helen nickname.

Akari is a feminine name in Japan but gender-neutral in the US, with a slight edge as a masculine name.

In Greek mythology Alcmene was mother of Herakles by Zeus, who tricked her by disguising himself as her absent husband.

One of the many, many ways to spell Aliya. The "leia" component gives Aleia an extra pronunciation option, like Leia with an extra syllable.

A light and lovely Russian diminutive of Yelena (Helena), now used in its own right in Russia. Also spelt Alyona.

An alternate name for Alhena, one of the stars in the Gemini constellation.

Just one letter separates Alohi from the famous Hawaiian greeting "aloha," but that one letter makes all the difference.

Alora feels like a hybrid name – part authentic, part synthetic – maybe because it is. It squeaked onto the Top 1000 in 2017 as part of the trend for girls' names starting and ending with A, but it has since dropped out again. It is likely a spelling variant of Elora, but also sounds a lot like the Italian word allora, meaning "so, then, therefore, well".

Altalune is an invention used by Uma Thurman and Arpad Busson as one of several middle names for their daughter, its Latin meaning roughly translated as "over the moon." Celebrity baby Altalune will be called the more familiar Luna for short.

Variant of Hannelore

With mythological names rising, the handsome son of Zeus and god of medicine, music, and poetry among many other things might offer an interesting, if high-pressure, option.

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.