Names That Mean Bright

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

Diminutive of Robert, borne by famous figures from Robbie Williams to Robbie Coltrane.

A common Chinese, Vietnamese and Korean unisex name, and the name of a culturally rich Chinese Dynastic period. Yao Ming is the seven and a half foot Shanghai-born basketball star. Trivia tidbit: His parents were the tallest couple in China at the time of his birth.

Zariza is a unique name sure to appeal to Z lovers.

Isambard is derived from Old German Isanbert, meaning "bright iron" or "famous iron". Its most famous bearer, rather fittingly, is the 19th century British civil engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel, noted as one of the driving forces of the Industrial Revolution.

Egbert still suffers somewhat from being used as a stereotypical name for nerds and aristocrats. It would be a surprising choice, but with its edgy meaning and dusty charm, possibly it's so beyond cool that it's...actually kind of cool?

As well as Japanese physicist Hideki Yukawa, two Yankees ballplayers, Hideki Irabu and Hideki Matsui, made this name familiar to Americans.

So uncool it's almost cool, Bertie makes for a boyish nickname for Alberta, Roberta, Bertille, Albertine... or just use it on its own, à la Billie or Frankie.

One of the rarest Bert names, Engelbert has been used at least since the time of Charlemagne and is the name of several saints. But mostly, it's impossible not to associate it with Engelbert Humperdinck, both the German composer and the British pop singer (born Arnold Dorsey) who borrowed his name.

Cyane is a mythological Sicilian nymph who lived in a pool and whose name is an intriguing twist on the color name trend.

Rare word name that works for either gender.

Traditionally a feminine name from Greek mythology, Peaches Geldolf used it for her son in 2013.

The final a adds a lot of style.

The name of the sweet human baby in the film Ice Age, Roshan is a handsome Persian name that is the origin of the female name Roxanne, via its feminine form Roshanak.

Tico is a diminutive of Alberto, but on the soap opera One Life to Live, Tico Santi's full name was Augustico.

Burak is derived from al-Burāq, the Arabic name for the mythical winged creature that carried Islamic prophets. In particular, the Buraq is known for flying the Prophet Muhammed from Mecca to Jerusalem and into the Heavens in the span of a single night. The name was derived from the Arabic word for "lightning."

These days Albrecht is mostly seen as a surname, although it was historically a well-used first name in Germany. The surname was derived from the given name.

Modern feminine form of Xavier

All varieties of Hob are antiquated nicknames for Robert, though this one is saddled with the "Calvin and Hobbes" cartoon association.

Unfashionable surname, best left in the forest with Robin Hood and his Merry Men.