Luminous Names

  1. Deedee
    • Origin:

      English diminutive of any girl name that starts with D
    • Description:

      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.
  2. Polaris
    • Origin:

      Latin
    • Meaning:

      "pole star"
    • Description:

      The astronomical Polaris is better known as the North Star, the brightest star in the Ursa Minor constellation. It's also the name of a character in the Marvel Universe, as the daughter of Magneto. A handful of girls have been given the name in recent years.
  3. Moonglade
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "the bright reflection of moonlight on water"
  4. Aili
    • Origin:

      Finnish and Sami variation of Helga, diminutive of Aileen, Anglicization of Eilidh
    • Meaning:

      "holy, blessed; bright and shining light"
    • Description:

      An attractive Scandinavian take on Helga, or a potential Helen nickname.
  5. Taina
    • Origin:

      Tupi, Finnish variation of Tatiana, Russian
    • Meaning:

      "morning star; secret"
    • Description:

      A pretty, multicultural choice, Taina has its origins in South America and in Europe. As a Tupi name, Taina (also written as Tainá) means "morning star" and has been a popular choice in Brazil since the 80s and 90s. As a Finnish name, it is a form of the Russian Tatiana, meaning "secret".
  6. Keshet
    • Origin:

      Hebrew
    • Meaning:

      "rainbow"
    • Description:

      This feminine name, pleasingly reminiscent of Kismet, has a similarly lovely meaning: Rainbow.
  7. Hespera
    • Origin:

      Greek
    • Meaning:

      "evening, evening star"
    • Description:

      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 equivalent Aurora.
  8. Nolwenn
    • Origin:

      Welsh
    • Meaning:

      "shining, holy"
    • Description:

      Nolwenn is popular in Wales but would be a very adventurous choice in the US. Though with the increased visibility of names like Arwen, thanks to Lord of the Rings, it may not feel as odd going forward as it might have a generation ago. Other, similar ideas: Olwen, Anwen, Bronwen, Rowena.
  9. Solar
    • Origin:

      English word name
    • Meaning:

      "of the sun"
    • Description:

      This sunny new word name is gender neutral, used for 13 baby girls and 12 boys in 2021. Along with other celestial and weather choices, we can see Solar getting hotter.
  10. Sitara
    • Origin:

      Urdu from Persian
    • Meaning:

      "star"
    • Description:

      A beautiful Urdu name with a musical sound and a lovely celestial meaning. Sitara got a boost in 2022, potentially from the award-winning 2020 short film "Sitara: Let Girls Dream", bringing awareness to the issue of child marriage.
  11. Sidra
    • Origin:

      Latin, Hebrew, Arabic
    • Meaning:

      "like a star; order, sequence; lotus tree"
    • Description:

      Sidra is an uncommon name shared by a gulf off the coast of Libya. Popular in the Jewish community of North Africa, its Hebrew meaning refers to a weekly reading portion of the Torah. In Arabic, it's the name of a tree, which is an Islamic symbol of the upper limit of heaven.
  12. Evaluna
    • Origin:

      English, Hebrew, Latin
    • Meaning:

      "life + moon"
    • Description:

      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.
  13. Maricel
    • Origin:

      Spanish and Filipino combination of Maria and Celia, Hebrew, Latin
    • Meaning:

      "drop of the sea, bitter, or beloved + heaven"
    • Description:

      Variant of Maricela, blending Maria and Celia, giving you a variety of meanings. On one hand, it could simply be interpreted as meaning "Maria of the Heavens", perhaps as a celebration of the Virgin Mary, however, you could also mix the various meanings of Maria with that of Celia, to give you "drop of the sea in heaven", "bitter heavens" or "beloved heaven".
  14. Stellar
    • Origin:

      English word name
    • Meaning:

      "of the stars"
    • Description:

      This cosmological name is given to a handful of boys and girls each year in the USA. Likely to get confused with Stella or Stellan.
  15. Lior
    • Origin:

      Hebrew
    • Meaning:

      "I have a light"
    • Description:

      Lior connects with several factors stylish for Israeli names: It's short, it's unisex, and it has an uplifting nature theme. Lior might make a more modern spin on Leah.
  16. Maristella
    • Origin:

      Greek, combination of Maria and Stella; Italian; derivation of Stella Maris
    • Meaning:

      "star of the sea"
    • Description:

      Maristella is used as a "smoosh" name in Greek, typically with Maria Stella or Maria Styliane on the official birth certificate. Maristella can also stem from the Latin words Maris and Stella, meaning sea and star. Maristela is the equally evocative Spanish and Portuguese equivalent.
  17. Dia
    • Origin:

      Mbama, Sanskrit, Latin, and Spanish
    • Meaning:

      "love; lamp; heavenly; day"
    • Description:

      A sweet and simple multicultural choice which has several different meanings and origins.
  18. Solari
    • Origin:

      Italian surname
    • Meaning:

      "land exposed to the sun"
    • Description:

      Sunny Italian surname name for a little girl. Solari was the name of a character on Xena: Warrior Princess.
  19. Annelore
    • Origin:

      German
    • Meaning:

      "grace + god is my light"
    • Description:

      Variant of Hannelore
  20. Faina
    • Origin:

      Russian from Greek
    • Meaning:

      "shining"
    • Description:

      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.

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