Names That Mean Shining

Malo, the name of an important sixth century Breton saint who founded St. Malo, the charming port town in Brittany -- is considered quite au courant in France right now, ranking firmly in the Top 100.

One of many international versions of this classic.

A kind of old-fashioned nickname name that's enjoying some fresh life thanks to trendy brother Lane. Lainie is a more old-school spelling.

A name that sounds so old-fashioned some parents out there might conceivably find it quirky enough for a comeback, along with other one-time fuddie-duddies like Oscar and Homer.

Marilla is a names that's familiar via its resemblance to Mary and variations, but also distinctive: It hasn't been on the Top 1000 since the 1800s and was given to only 27 baby girls last year.

If you don't want your daughter to be a Diva, try this Hindu moon goddess name that was chosen by actress Monica Bellucci for hers.

This chic Ukrainian form of Helen is relatively unknown outside of its native country, but it definitely has international appeal. Olia or Olenka are the usual Ukrainian diminutives, but tomboyish Oli or Leni could work too.

Simple-yet-unusual name with a creative meaning. Actress Sanaa Lathan promoted it, and it was on the U.S. popularity list from 2003 to 2011. Shaquille O'Neal used it as the middle name of his daughter Amirah. And spelled Sana'a, it's the capital of Yemen.

Eilo is one of the few masculine names to derive from a feminine one. It comes from Eila, the Norwegian variation of Elina.

Very popular in its native Turkey (Top 20 since 2014), this beautiful, celestial name has international appeal. The meaning of Miray is occasionally debated, with "shining like the moon" as one interpretation and "commander of the moonlight" being another.

Tegwen is nowhere near as pretty as its meaning. Other -wen names -- Anwen, Bronwen, Rhonwen -- have more appeal.

Lainie is a nickname for Elaine that has been in the public eye via Lainie Kazan (that was her full given name), who was a popular singer in the 1960s and 1970s (she was Barbra Streisand's understudy in "Funny Girl"), and then became a motherly character actress. We still find Lainie a bit flimsy for a full first name.

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

An epithet of the sun and the Hindu god Shiva, also borne by a 12th century Indian astronomer. Bhaskar, a common Indian surname, is related.

Yu the Great founded China's first dynasty, but in this country "Hey, you!" would make this name utterly confusing, in an Abbott and Costello way.

New name in the pool of international names, added by lovely supermodel Alyona Osmanova.

Kaguya-hime no Monogatari, "The Tale of Princess Kaguya," is a Japanese folk story, also called "The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter." In the story, a bamboo cutter finds a baby girl from the moon nestled in a glowing bamboo stalk. Her name is Kaguya, meaning "shining."

Star in Orion that might make a fine name, except people will always assume it's Melissa, with a typo.

To some, may have the same warm feeling of Russian nicknames like Sasha and Misha.

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.