Luminous Names

A sweet Cornish word name with a celestial meaning.

In Greek mythology, Sterope is the name of one of the seven Pleiads. It is sometimes used interchangeably with Asterope, from the same root.

Stella gets a cool European makeover.

The name of a character in the TV series The Last Kingdom, whose name is based on the Norse word for "star".

Said to be the name of the most learned man in ancient Wales, in this country it would be open to mispronunciation, making it rhyme with Julien.

Long synonymous with the American outlaw Harry Longabaugh, aka The Sundance Kid, who got his nickname from the town of Sundance, Wyoming, where he was incarcerated as a teenager. The place name Sundance was taken from the sun dance ceremony practiced by local Native American tribes.

A bright and cheery flower name, which could make a great bold middle.

Pronounced like Sunny, Suni is the nickname of astronaut Sunita Williams. Suni is also the nickname of US Olympic gymnast Suni Lee, whose full name is Sunisa.

Sunniva was an Irish-born saint who fled to Norway, where she hid in an island cave with her followers and eventually died. After miracles were reported on the island, the cave was excavated and Sunniva's intact body was found. Sunniva is the patron saint of Western Norway. Her name would make a fascinating and unusual choice for a modern baby girl, and if her story is a bit grim, you can take refuge in the upbeat nickname Sunny or Sunni.

Upbeat nickname-name that can't help but make you smile, along with its soundalike Sonny.

Upbeat nickname-name that can't help but make you smile. You might want to use it as a short form for a more "serious" name such as Sunniva, but Sunny is undeniably, well, sunny.

This name is very wearable in English-speaking countries and has a lovely meaning.

A sweet and lively name with two distinct derivations. It can be a short form of Sylvia or a variant spelling of its French form Sylvie, meaning "of the forest". Or, it can be a Norwegian and Swedish variant of Solveig, meaning "sun strength".

Taina is a feminine Tupi name meaning "star." A nice choice for those looking for something celestial but less common than Stella or Astrid. Taina also means "secret" in Russian and is a Finnish form of Tatiana.

Tala is a super multicultural name with roots in many diverse languages and cultures. In Northern Europe, especially in Scandinavia, it is a diminutive derived from Adelheid "noble", long used as a standalone name.

Talia is derived from the Hebrew elements tal, meaning "dew," and yah, in reference to God. In the mythology of one ancient sect, Talia was one of ten angels who attended the sun on its daily course. The occasionally homophonous name Thalia has unrelated Greek origins.

This unusual Welsh mythological name just might appeal to architect parents wishing to honor Frank Lloyd Wright, who called his two famous residences Taliesin and Taliesin West.

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

Nickname sometimes heard on its own, sort of an updated Sally and playmate of Hallie.

Tarabai is an Indian name with a lot of feminist clout. Tarabai Bhosale was a 17th century Maratha queen who was a skilled military leader in her own right and successfully resisted the Mughal empire on behalf of her people. More recently Tarabai Shinde is often regarded as the author of India’s first feminist text - in which she rails against both the patriarchy and the caste system. Meaning feminine star, Tarabai is a perfect name for your budding feminist.