Names That Mean Shining

Taliesin is a name an architecture-minded parent could love, because of its close association with Frank Lloyd Wright.

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.

An ancient Germanic name belonging to an 8th century duke of Bavaria, as well as to a modern-day prince of Bulgaria. It is a diminutive form from Tasso, which probably derives from the Germanic name Taginbert, a cognate of Dagobert.

The usual form of Eleonara is Eleanora, with each syllable pronounced, but transposing, adding, or subtracting a vowel or syllable here or there works fine and adds to the international, feminine spin on a solid name.

A light and lovely Russian diminutive of Yelena (Helena), now used in its own right in Russia. Also spelt Alyona.

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

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

Olympic skier Picabo Street was allowed to choose her name at the age of three, and picked it possibly (a) after a nearby Idaho town or (b) because she loved to play peekaboo. No longer a single-person name, it is now worn by a number of satisfied bearers.

Forever the hapless cartoon husband of Blondie.

This beautiful celestial Indian name had a rise in 2022, following in the trends of other "-ani" ending names like Leilani and Imani. The character Devi from the hit show "Never Have I Ever" familiarized the world with another beautiful name of the same root.

Variation of Hubert.

Nickname for Alena, a Helen variation, that can be heard in Eastern Europe.

Belisama is a goddess in Celtic mythology often associated as the equivalent to the Roman Minerva and Greek Athena.

Finnish variation of Helena

Upper crust pet form still used in some old money families.

Mitrofan comes from the obscure Greek name Metrophanes. It is primarily used as a first name but is also seen as a surname in countries such as Romania.

Light and ethereal, Phaenna is one of the Charities or Graces in some Greek myths. She was worshipped in Sparta, along with Cleta ("renowned one").