PlanetPink's list "Luminous Names" of 20 great name ideas: Hikari - Zorya!

Luminous Names

Light, bright unisex name. Hikari is more popular for girls in Japan these days.

Hikari

Kamarie

Lucero is a relative or nickname of Luz, meaning light. This intriguing name is swimming just beneath the Top 1000 for girls in the US, but is used for boys too. It is especially popular in Latin America.

Lucero

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). 
The name was used for a female character in the TV series Dexter (played by Julia Stiles), and a real-life bearer is the American (male) artist Lumen Martin Winter.

Lumen

Popular in Hawaii during the first half of the 20th century.

Lokelani

A simple but unusual name with roots in disparate cultures, Neri appears in the Bible as a male name and is still sometimes used for boys as well as girls. The appeal of Neri are its deep roots combined with its simple, upbeat, modern feel, ala Peri and Rory.

Neri

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.


Solaris

Stella and Luna are stylish night sky <a href="https://nameberry.com/girls-names">name for girls</a>, from the Latin words for star and moon. 

The two names were smooshed together by children's book author Janell Cannon in 1993. Cannon gave the name Stellaluna to a fictional fruit bat. It's since become a beloved picture book and favorite bedtime story. 

Ellen Pompeo named her daughter Stella Luna in 2009.

Stellaluna

Stella Maris ("star of the sea") is an historic title for the Virgin Mary, in use since at least the early medieval period. Although it actually arose from a scribal error in the etymology of the name Mary, it came to be seen as symbolic of Mary's role as "guiding star" on the way to Christ. Under this name, the Virgin Mary is believed to intercede as a guide and protector of seafarers in particular, and many coastal churches are named Stella Maris or Star of the Sea.

Stellamaris

Also spelled Thiên in Vietnamese, this is the middle name of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's son Pax, adopted from Vietnam in 2007.

Thien

The feminine form of Caelius, from caelum "skies, heavens".

Caelia

A handsome alternative to Adrian or Dorian, derived from the Latin word aurum "gold".

Aurian

The exact meaning of Aybars is unknown, but it appears to be derived from ay, known to mean "moon," and a Proto-Turkic root bār, "there exists."

Aybars

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 had wives named Hannelore.

Hannelore

You may be familiar with Celeste, but have you considered this beautiful choice for a boy, currently highly fashionable in France, derived from Latin Caelestis ("of the sky; heavenly").

Celestin

Euphonic hybrid of the sounds of Melissa and Laura. Melora Hardin is an actress who was featured on The Office.

Melora

A soft and sweet unisex Arabic name with an international sound, Mishal can also be spelled as Mishaal. British broadcaster Mishal Husain is a notable bearer.

Mishal

A popular Irish name virtually unknown here, but one that feels like it could follow in the footsteps of Siobhan and Saoirse. It's pronounced SOR-ka, but with a little hiccup between the 'r' and the 'c' that's difficult for non-Gaelic speakers to reproduce. Spelled (and pronounced) Sorsha, she is a major character in the movie Willow.

Sorcha

A Top 100 name in Israel, where it is overwhelmingly feminine. Zohar is currently used equally between girls and boys in the US but is rising far more quickly for boys.

Zohar

Zorya is the name of the two star goddess in Slavic mythology, Zorya Utrennyaya and Zorya Vechernyaya, referring to the morning and evening stars, respectively. It's used as a name in Russia and other countries with Slavic-based languages.