Names That Mean Light

A li'l hell-raiser name in the Ryder-Rogue-Rebel vein.

No guarantee of a fellowship.

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

The name of medieval French saint, similar to Sally Field's name, Bertrille, on the old The Flying Nun sitcom, leading some to expect the word "Sister" in front of it.

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.

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.

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

Merrill, once fairly common for males, is rarely used for girls (or boys either, for that matter) with this spelling. Chef Emeril Lagasse dropped the initial E from his name and called his daughter Meril.

Problematic, even if not for Dilbert.

More modern than Helen or Helena, and an interesting alternative to Hayley and Hallie. By coincidence, heli also means "saltwater" in Welsh.

Simple, delicate, and unusual.

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.

Norse god who's the son of light plus historic diplomat Dag Hammarskjöld and author Dag Solstad combine to boost this Nordic name's appeal, but this could be difficult in English-speaking countries where the obvious tease will be "daggy Dag."

Beguiling cousin of Sahara.

Solana has been trending up the Nameberry popularity charts, perhaps thanks to a legion of SZA fans. And it's poised to enter the US Top 1000 too, given to over 225 baby girls last year.

One bright spot: famous namesake Threepenny Opera playwright Berthold (later known as Bertolt) Brecht.

The original form of the Hebrew Meyer.

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

Some cutting-edge parents might revive Osbert as a substitute for Oscar. We like the "divinely brilliant" meaning. Cool or terminally nerdy? Your call.

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