Abner m English, Biblical, Biblical LatinFrom the Hebrew name
אַבְנֵר (ʾAvner) meaning
"my father is a light", derived from
אָב (ʾav) meaning "father" and
נֵר (ner) meaning "lamp, light". In the Old Testament, Abner was a cousin of
Saul and the commander of his army. After he killed Asahel he was himself slain by Asahel's brother
Joab.
... [more] Aegle f Greek Mythology (Latinized)Latinized form of the Greek
Αἴγλη (Aigle), which meant
"light, radiance, glory". This was the name of several characters in Greek myth, including one of the Heliades and one of the Hesperides.
Ailbhe f & m Irish, Irish MythologyFrom Old Irish
Ailbe, possibly derived from the Celtic root *
albiyo- "world, light, white" or Old Irish
ail "rock". In Irish legend this was the name of a female warrior of the Fianna. It was also the name of a 6th-century male saint, the founder of a monastery at Emly.
Akari f JapaneseFrom Japanese
明 (aka) meaning "bright" or
朱 (aka) meaning "vermilion red" combined with
里 (ri) meaning "village" or
莉 (ri) meaning "white jasmine". Other combinations of kanji characters can also form this name.
Akemi f JapaneseFrom Japanese
明 (ake) meaning "bright" and
美 (mi) meaning "beautiful". Other kanji combinations are possible.
Aki 2 f JapaneseFrom Japanese
晶 (aki) meaning "clear, crystal",
明 (aki) meaning "bright, light, clear" or
秋 (aki) meaning "autumn". It can also come from
亜 (a) meaning "second, Asia" combined with
希 (ki) meaning "hope". Other kanji or combinations of kanji can form this name too.
Akihiko m JapaneseFrom Japanese
明 (aki) or
昭 (aki) both meaning "bright" combined with
彦 (hiko) meaning "boy, prince". Other combinations of kanji characters can also form this name.
Akihito m JapaneseFrom Japanese
明 (aki) or
昭 (aki) both meaning "bright" combined with
仁 (hito) meaning "compassionate". Other kanji combinations are possible. Akihito (1933-), name written
明仁, was the emperor of Japan from 1989 to 2019.
Akiko f JapaneseFrom Japanese
晶 (aki) meaning "clear, crystal",
明 (aki) meaning "bright, light, clear" or
秋 (aki) meaning "autumn" combined with
子 (ko) meaning "child". Other combinations of kanji characters are possible.
Akimitsu m JapaneseFrom Japanese
昭 (aki) meaning "bright" and
光 (mitsu) meaning "light". Other combinations of kanji can also form this name.
Akira m & f JapaneseFrom Japanese
昭 (akira) meaning "bright",
明 (akira) meaning "bright" or
亮 (akira) meaning "clear". Other kanji with the same pronunciation can also form this name. A famous bearer was the Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa (1910-1998), given name written
明.
Amitabh m HindiFrom Sanskrit
अमिताभ (amitābha) meaning
"immeasurable splendour". A famous bearer is Indian actor Amitabh Bachchan (1942-).
Apollo m Greek Mythology (Latinized)From Greek
Ἀπόλλων (Apollon), which is of unknown meaning, though perhaps related to the Indo-European root *
apelo- meaning
"strength". Another theory states that Apollo can be equated with Appaliunas, an Anatolian god whose name possibly means
"father lion" or
"father light". The Greeks later associated Apollo's name with the Greek verb
ἀπόλλυμι (apollymi) meaning
"to destroy". In Greek mythology Apollo was the son of
Zeus and
Leto and the twin of
Artemis. He was the god of prophecy, medicine, music, art, law, beauty, and wisdom. Later he also became the god of the sun and light.
Argider m BasqueDerived from Basque
argi "light" and
eder "beautiful".
Asterope f Greek MythologyMeans
"lightning, flash of light" in Greek. This is the name of several characters from Greek mythology, including a naiad who died fleeing Aesacus.
Bhaskara m HinduismMeans
"shining, light maker", derived from Sanskrit
भास (bhāsa) meaning "light" and
कर (kara) meaning "maker". This is another name of Hindu sun god
Surya. It was additionally borne by a 12th-century Indian astronomer, also known as Bhaskaracharya.
Chiaki f & m JapaneseFrom Japanese
千 (chi) meaning "thousand" combined with
秋 (aki) meaning "autumn",
晶 (aki) meaning "clear, crystal" or
明 (aki) meaning "bright, light, clear". This name can also be formed from other kanji combinations.
Elanur f TurkishMeans
"hazel light", from Turkish
ela meaning "hazel" combined with Arabic
نور (nūr) meaning "light".
Elnur m AzerbaijaniMeans
"light of the people" in Azerbaijani, ultimately derived from Turkic
el meaning "country, society" and Arabic
نور (nūr) meaning "light".
Elouan m Breton, FrenchPossibly from a Breton word meaning
"light". This name was borne by an obscure 6th-century saint who is now venerated mainly in Brittany and Cornwall.
Gülnur f TurkishMeans
"rose light" in Turkish, ultimately from Persian
گل (gol) meaning "flower, rose" and Arabic
نور (nūr) meaning "light".
Haru m & f JapaneseFrom Japanese
陽 (haru) meaning "light, sun, male",
春 (haru) meaning "spring" or
晴 (haru) meaning "clear weather". Other kanji or kanji combinations can form this name as well.
Haruki m JapaneseFrom Japanese
晴 (haru) meaning "clear weather" or
陽 (haru) meaning "light, sun, male" combined with
輝 (ki) meaning "brightness" or
生 (ki) meaning "living". Other kanji combinations are possible.
Haruko f JapaneseFrom Japanese
春 (haru) meaning "spring" or
陽 (haru) meaning "light, sun, male" combined with
子 (ko) meaning "child", as well as other kanji combinations.
Haruto m JapaneseFrom Japanese
陽 (haru) meaning "light, sun, male",
遥 (haru) meaning "distant, remote" or
晴 (haru) meaning "clear weather" combined with
斗 (to), which refers to a Chinese constellation, or
翔 (to) meaning "soar, fly". Other kanji combinations can also form this name.
Hideaki m JapaneseFrom Japanese
英 (hide) meaning "excellent, fine" and
明 (aki) meaning "bright, light, clear", as well as other combinations of kanji.
Hikari f & m JapaneseFrom Japanese
光 (hikari) meaning "light". Other kanji can also form this name. It is often written with the hiragana writing system.
Hikaru m & f JapaneseFrom Japanese
光 (hikaru) meaning "light" or
輝 (hikaru) meaning "brightness". Other kanji can also form this name.
Hina f JapaneseFrom Japanese
陽 (hi) meaning "light, sun" or
日 (hi) meaning "sun, day" combined with
菜 (na) meaning "vegetables, greens". Other kanji combinations are possible.
İlknur f TurkishMeans
"first light", from Turkish
ilk meaning "first" combined with Arabic
نور (nūr) meaning "light".
Illuminata f Late RomanMeans
"illuminated, brightened, filled with light" in Latin. This name was borne by a 4th-century saint from Todi, Italy.
Jatau m HausaMeans
"fair-coloured, light" in Hausa.
Kaguya f LiteratureMeans
"bright, shining" in Japanese. It is spelled with the kanji
赫 (kagaya) meaning "bright" and
映 (ya) meaning "reflect". The name originates from the old Japanese folktale
The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, about a bamboo cutter who finds a tiny baby in a bamboo stalk and names her
Kaguya-hime "shining princess". When she grows up she rejects all proposals for marriage (including that from the Emperor) and eventually returns to her true home on the moon.
... [more] Keren f HebrewMeans
"horn" or
"ray of light" in Hebrew.
Kōji m JapaneseFrom Japanese
浩 (kō) meaning "prosperous",
幸 (kō) meaning "happiness, good luck" or
康 (kō) meaning "peace" combined with
司 (ji) meaning "officer, boss",
二 (ji) meaning "two" or
次 (ji) meaning "next". This name can also be formed from many other combinations of kanji characters.
Kōki m JapaneseFrom Japanese
光 (kō) meaning "light" or
幸 (kō) meaning "happiness, good luck" combined with
希 (ki) meaning "hope" or
輝 (ki) meaning "brightness". This name can be formed from other combinations of kanji characters as well.
Lasha m GeorgianPossibly from a Northwest Caucasian word meaning
"light". This was a name of Giorgi IV, a 13th-century king of Georgia.
Lucasta f LiteratureThis name was first used by the poet Richard Lovelace for a collection of poems called
Lucasta (1649). The poems were dedicated to Lucasta, a nickname for the woman he loved Lucy Sacheverel, whom he called
lux casta "pure light".
Lucifer m Judeo-Christian-Islamic LegendMeans
"bringing light", derived from Latin
lux "light" and
ferre "to bring". In Latin this name originally referred to the morning star, Venus, but later became associated with the chief angel who rebelled against God's rule in heaven (see
Isaiah 14:12). In later literature, such as the
Divine Comedy (1321) by Dante and
Paradise Lost (1667) by John Milton, Lucifer became associated with Satan himself.
Lucina f Roman MythologyDerived from Latin
lucus meaning
"grove", but later associated with
lux meaning
"light". This was the name of a Roman goddess of childbirth.
Lucius m Ancient Roman, Biblical, EnglishRoman praenomen, or given name, which was derived from Latin
lux "light". This was the most popular of the praenomina. Two Etruscan kings of early Rome had this name as well as several prominent later Romans, including Lucius Annaeus Seneca (known simply as Seneca), a statesman, philosopher, orator and tragedian. The name is mentioned briefly in the New Testament belonging to a Christian in Antioch. It was also borne by three popes, including the 3rd-century Saint Lucius. Despite this, the name was not regularly used in the Christian world until after the Renaissance.
Luminița f RomanianMeans
"little light", derived from Romanian
lumina "light" combined with a diminutive suffix.
Lux f & m VariousDerived from Latin
lux meaning
"light".
Luz f SpanishMeans
"light" in Spanish. It is taken from the title of the Virgin
Mary,
Nuestra Señora de la Luz, meaning "Our Lady of Light".
Manjushri m BuddhismMeans
"beautiful radiance", derived from Sanskrit
मञ्जु (mañju) meaning "lovely, beautiful" and
श्री (śrī) meaning "radiance, splendour, beauty". According to Buddhist tradition this is the name of a bodhisattva.
Mephistopheles m LiteratureMeaning uncertain. It might be based on Hebrew
מֵפִיץ (mefits) "scatterer, disperser" and
טָפַל (ṭafal) "liar", or on Greek
μή (me) "not",
φῶς (phos) "light" and
φίλος (philos) "friend, lover". Many other etymologies have been proposed. In a German legend, notably retold by Goethe, this is the name of a demon who makes a deal with
Faust to exchange his soul for magical powers.
Ming m & f ChineseFrom Chinese
明 (míng) meaning "bright, light, clear" or
铭 (míng) meaning "inscribe, engrave", as well as other characters that are pronounced similarly.
Mitsuaki m JapaneseFrom Japanese
光 (mitsu) meaning "light" and
昭 (aki) meaning "bright, luminous". Other kanji combinations can also form this name.
Mitsuki f JapaneseFrom Japanese
美 (mi) meaning "beautiful" and
月 (tsuki) meaning "moon". It can also come from
光 (mitsu) meaning "light" and
希 (ki) meaning "hope", as well as several other kanji combinations.
Mitsuko f JapaneseFrom Japanese
光 (mitsu) meaning "light" and
子 (ko) meaning "child". Other kanji combinations are possible.
Myeong m & f KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
明 (myeong) meaning "bright, light, clear" or other hanja characters with the same pronunciation. Although it does appear rarely as a single-character name, it is more often used in combination with another character.
Myeong-Suk f KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
明 (myeong) meaning "bright, light, clear" combined with
淑 (suk) meaning "good, pure, virtuous, charming". Other hanja combinations are possible.
Noor-Ali m PersianFrom Persian
نور (nūr) meaning "light" (of Arabic origin) combined with the name
Ali 1. Though usually transcribed into Latin characters with a dash or a space, it is not written with a space in Persian.
Noriaki m JapaneseFrom Japanese
憲 (nori) meaning "law" or
典 (nori) meaning "rule, ceremony" combined with
明 (aki) meaning "bright, light, clear". Other kanji combinations can also form this name.
Nurasyl m Kazakh (Rare)From Kazakh
нұр (nur) meaning "light" and
асыл (asyl) meaning "precious, noble" (both words ultimately of Arabic origin).
Nurbek m KyrgyzFrom Kyrgyz
нур (nur) meaning "light" (of Arabic origin) combined with the Turkic military title
beg meaning "chieftain, master".
Nurcan f TurkishMeans
"bright soul" in Turkish, ultimately from Arabic
نور (nūr) meaning "light" and Persian
jān meaning "soul, life".
Nurdaulet m KazakhFrom Kazakh
нұр (nur) meaning "light" and
дәулет (daulet) meaning "country, government" (both words ultimately of Arabic origin).
Nurgül f TurkishMeans
"radiant rose" in Turkish, ultimately from Arabic
نور (nūr) meaning "light" and Persian
گل (gol) meaning "flower, rose".
Nurislam m KazakhFrom Kazakh
нұр (nur) meaning "light" (of Arabic origin) combined with
Islam, the name of the religion (ultimately from Arabic
إسلام).
Nursultan m KazakhFrom Kazakh
нұр (nur) meaning "light" and
сұлтан (sultan) meaning "sultan, king" (both words of Arabic origin).
Nurten f TurkishMeans
"radiant skin" in Turkish, ultimately from Arabic
نور (nūr) meaning "light" and Persian
تن (tan) meaning "body".
Nurzhan m KazakhFrom Kazakh
нұр (nur) meaning "light" (of Arabic origin) and
жан (zhan) meaning "soul" (of Persian origin).
Orion m Greek MythologyMeaning uncertain, but possibly related to Greek
ὅριον (horion) meaning
"boundary, limit". Alternatively it may be derived from Akkadian
Uru-anna meaning
"light of the heavens". This is the name of a constellation, which gets its name from a legendary Greek hunter who was killed by a scorpion sent by the earth goddess
Gaia.
Photine f Ancient GreekDerived from Greek
φῶς (phos) meaning
"light" (genitive
φωτός (photos)). This is the name traditionally given to the Samaritan woman
Jesus met at the well (see
John 4:7). She is venerated as a saint by the Eastern Church.
Prabhakara m SanskritMeans
"light maker", derived from Sanskrit
प्रभा (prabhā) meaning "light" and
कर (kara) meaning "maker". In Hindu scripture this term is used to refer to the sun and the moon. A notable bearer of this name was a 6th-century scholar from Kerala.
Prakash m Hindi, Marathi, Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Gujarati, Bengali, Odia, NepaliDerived from Sanskrit
प्रकाश (prakāśa) meaning
"light, bright, shining".
Roshni f Marathi, HindiFrom Hindi and Marathi
रौशनी (raushanī) meaning
"light, brightness", ultimately of Persian origin.
Sengphet f & m LaoFrom Lao
ແສງ (saeng) meaning "light" and
ເພັດ (phet) meaning "diamond, gem".
Shri f HinduismMeans
"diffusing light, radiance, beauty" in Sanskrit, a word used as a title of respect in India. This is another name of the Hindu goddess
Lakshmi.
Svetlana f Russian, Slovak, Bulgarian, Serbian, Macedonian, Estonian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Armenian, GeorgianDerived from Russian
свет (svet) meaning
"light, world". It was popularized by the poem
Svetlana (1813) by the poet Vasily Zhukovsky. It is sometimes used as a translation of
Photine.
Tawny f English (Modern)From the English word, ultimately deriving from Old French
tané, which means
"light brown".
Tinatin f Georgian, LiteraturePossibly related to Georgian
სინათლე (sinatle) meaning
"light". The name was devised by the Georgian poet Shota Rustaveli for his 12th-century epic poem
The Knight in the Panther's Skin, in which Tinatin is the ruler of Arabia and the lover of
Avtandil.
Toshiaki m JapaneseFrom Japanese
俊 (toshi) meaning "talented, handsome" or
利 (toshi) meaning "benefit, advantage" combined with
明 (aki) meaning "bright, light, clear". Other combinations of kanji characters can also form this name.
Uriah m BiblicalFrom the Hebrew name
אוּרִיָה (ʾUriya) meaning
"Yahweh is my light", from the roots
אוּר (ʾur) meaning "light, flame" and
יָהּ (yah) referring to the Hebrew God. In the Old Testament this is the name of a Hittite warrior in King
David's army, the first husband of
Bathsheba. David desired Bathsheba so he placed Uriah in the forefront of battle so he would be killed.
Uriel m Biblical, HebrewFrom the Hebrew name
אוּרִיאֵל (ʾUriʾel) meaning
"God is my light", from
אוּר (ʾur) meaning "light, flame" and
אֵל (ʾel) meaning "God". Uriel is an archangel in Hebrew tradition. He is mentioned only in the Apocrypha, for example in the Book of Enoch where he warns
Noah of the coming flood.
Vasuda f Hindi (Rare)Means
"granting wealth" in Sanskrit. This is another name of the earth.
Vasudha f HindiMeans
"holding wealth" in Sanskrit, used to refer to the earth.
Yang m & f ChineseFrom Chinese
洋 (yáng) meaning "ocean" or
阳 (yáng) meaning "light, sun, male" (which is typically only masculine), as well as other Chinese characters pronounced similarly.
Yeong f & m KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
英 (yeong) meaning "flower, petal, brave, hero", as well as other hanja characters that are pronounced similarly. It usually occurs in combination with another character, though it is sometimes used as a stand-alone name. This name was borne by Jang Yeong-sil (where
Jang is the surname), a 15th-century Korean scientist and inventor.
Yeong-Ho m KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
英 (yeong) meaning "flower, petal, brave, hero",
映 (yeong) meaning "reflect light" or
泳 (yeong) meaning "dive, swim" combined with
浩 (ho) meaning "great, numerous, vast" or
皓 (ho) meaning "bright, luminous, clear, hoary". Other hanja combinations are possible.
Yōko f JapaneseFrom Japanese
陽 (yō) meaning "light, sun, male" or
洋 (yō) meaning "ocean" combined with
子 (ko) meaning "child". Other combinations of kanji characters can also form this name.
Yoshimitsu m JapaneseFrom Japanese
義 (yoshi) meaning "righteous",
芳 (yoshi) meaning "fragrant, virtuous, beautiful", or
吉 (yoshi) meaning "good luck" combined with
光 (mitsu) meaning "light". Other combinations of kanji can also form this name.
Yōsuke m JapaneseFrom Japanese
陽 (yō) meaning "light, sun, male" or
洋 (yō) meaning "ocean" combined with
介 (suke) meaning "help, assist". This name can also be formed from other combinations of kanji characters.
Yōta m JapaneseFrom Japanese
陽 (yō) meaning "light, sun, male" and
太 (ta) meaning "thick, big, great". Other character combinations are possible.
Zazil f MayanMeans
"clear, light, clarity" in Yucatec Maya. Zazil Há was a 16th-century Maya woman who married the Spanish shipwreck survivor Gonzalo Guerrero.
Zhulong m Chinese MythologyFrom Chinese
烛 (zhú) meaning "candle, torch, light" and
龙 (lóng) meaning "dragon". In Chinese mythology this was the name of a giant scarlet serpent, also called the Torch Dragon in English.
Ziya m Arabic, TurkishMeans
"splendour, light, glow" in Arabic. This was the name of a 14th-century Islamic Indian historian.
Zuhra 2 f Arabic (Rare)Means
"brilliancy, light" in Arabic, derived from the root
زهر (zahara) meaning "to shine". This name is written identically to the related name
Zahra, though it is pronounced differently.
Žydrūnas m LithuanianFrom Lithuanian
žydra meaning
"light blue" (using the patronymic suffix
ūnas).