Names That Mean Light

This gender-neutral Indonesian name feels familiar but unique. Damar is also used among African-American parents for boys.

Old-fashioned nickname for Nora, Honora, Eleanor, Noreen... or any name with that "nor" sound.

Simple, delicate, and unusual.

Americans may consider Lohan a surname name forever tied to Lindsay but in France, it's a modern variation of the Breton saint's name Elouan.

An attractive and rare alternative to Luke and Luca. Lucan is the Irish variation.

A warm and simple alternative to Luna, derived from Latin lumen "light".

A modern spelling of a vintage nickname.

A rare but historic English name bestowed upon girls in the 19th century. Fairlight seems to have been particularly popular among baby girls in the Appalachian region of the US. It appeared as a character name in Catherine Mashall's 1967 novel Christy, which was turned into a TV show in 1994.

Spelling variation of Lior.

Beguiling cousin of Sahara.

Greek and French form of Apollo, son of Zeus and Leto and the twin of Artemis in Greek mythology. He was the god of prophecy, medicine, music, art, law, beauty, and wisdom, also associated with the sun and light.

Phonetic anglicisation of the popular Scottish name Eilidh, a relative of Eleanor or Helen.

Lleucu is often considered the Welsh equivalent of Lucy, as it shares the same meaning of "light", and a similar sound. (Lwsi and Liwsi are the phonetic Welsh spellings of Lucy.) It's a statement choice even within Wales, and the spelling/pronunciation would make it extremely bold in other countries.

The name of an angel in the Zohar, Nuriel is related to the Arabic name Nur.

That difficult Ur- sound cancels out the feminine appeal of the rest of the name.

The original form of the Hebrew Meyer.

A sparkling and rare option among the names that mean light.

More common -- when it was common -- with the Meyer spelling.

Argider is a somewhat used boys' name in Basque-speaking parts of Spain.

Melker, a modern phonetic spelling of ancient Three Wise Men name Melchior, is in the Swedish Top 100 though not used in the US, where it would be heard as "milker." Nickname Mel is not exactly a fashionable choice at the moment either.