Names That Mean Light

Many African tribes have a tradition of naming children for the day or time they were born -- Friday, Afternoon -- a practice finding new life in the Western world as word names become more popular.

Old-fashioned nickname for Nora, Honora, Eleanor, Noreen... or any name with that "nor" sound.

Americans may consider Lohan a surname name forever tied to Lindsay but in France, it's a modern variation of the Breton saint's name Elouan.

Simple, delicate, and unusual.

An attractive and rare alternative to Luke and Luca. Lucan is the Irish variation.

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.

A modern spelling of a vintage nickname.

Beguiling cousin of Sahara.

A warm and simple alternative to Luna, derived from Latin lumen "light".

Phonetic anglicisation of the popular Scottish name Eilidh, a relative of Eleanor or Helen.

Lleucu is often considered the Welsh equivalent of Lucy, as it shares the same meaning of "light", and a similar sound. (Lwsi and Liwsi are the phonetic Welsh spellings of Lucy.) It's a statement choice even within Wales, and the spelling/pronunciation would make it extremely bold in other countries.

Spelling variation of Lior.

Greek and French form of Apollo, son of Zeus and Leto and the twin of Artemis in Greek mythology. He was the god of prophecy, medicine, music, art, law, beauty, and wisdom, also associated with the sun and light.

The name of an angel in the Zohar, Nuriel is related to the Arabic name Nur.

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

A sparkling and rare option among the names that mean light.

More common -- when it was common -- with the Meyer spelling.

The original form of the Hebrew Meyer.

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

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.