Names That Mean Light

Positive meaning -- and a choice of spelling variations.

Strongly identified with peace-accord-seeking Egyptian president Anwar el-Sadat.

Esclarmonde de Foix was an Occitan countess and an important figure in Catharism, a medieval Christian movement, which allowed women and men to both hold church offices. Her tale inspired an opera by the same name by Jules Massenet; the name is also featured in Kate Mosse's bestselling novel Labyrinth.

Pleun is a unisex Dutch name deriving from Apollonius or Apollonia, although now it ranks far higher for girls in its native land than the original form.

Too close to yenta.

Certainly qualities desired for our sons.

Javiera, pronounced ha-vee-AIR-a, is not as well used as twin brother JAVIER, but makes an attractive Latina choice.

Claribel improves on its mother name Clarabelle by distancing itself from the clown and the cow.

Evocative African choice.

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.

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

One step up from Irwin, and that's not nearly enough.

Spiritual author Deepak Chopra made this familiar, if not particularly accessible, outside the Indian community.

This name may mean light but is likely to be heavy to wear outside of Spain.

Almost unheard of in recent years, Dagobert has some connections to the French diaspora. Pere Dagobert was an eighteenth century Capuchin monk who immigrated to New Orleans from Quebec. Dagobert I was a king of the Merovingian dynasty in the seventh century.

Lovely name that's been overshadowed by sister ZAHARA, which was chosen by Brad and Angelina for their oldest daughter.

Evocative of hulas, leis, and luaus.

Worldly and evocative.