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Naming expert Dr. Hayley Elizabeth Wilson shares her top picks for baby girl names that mean “light”
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Your future daughter is sure to light up your world, so why not pick a name that matches this energy? Luckily, we’ve compiled the ultimate list of girl names that mean “light” right here, including curated picks from professional baby naming experts. We’ve also included beautiful baby names with closely related meanings, like “bright,” “sunlight,” or “starlight.” Keep reading to find the perfect name for your little ray of light!

Section 1 of 5:

Girl Names that Mean “Light”

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  1. These gorgeous girls’ names literally mean “light,” so they’re perfect if you want to get straight to the point! Baby naming expert Sonya Prior lists Lucile, Lucie, or Lucinda as a few of her favorite picks.[1] However, here are more amazing options for you to browse:
    • Aegle: “Dazzling light,” Greek origin.
    • Aileen: “Bright, shining light,” Irish origin.
    • Alina: “Light” or “noble,” Russian origin.
    • Alyna: “Light,” “brilliant” or “noble,” Greek and German origins.
    • Dipa: “Light,” Sanskrit origin.
    • Diya: “Light,” “glow,” or “lamp,” Arabic and Indian origins.
    • Elaine: “Bright, shining light,” French and Scottish origins.
    • Eleanor: “Shining light,” French and Greek origins.
    • Elena: “Shining light,” Greek origin.
    • Elin: “Shining,” “brilliant,” or “the bright one,” Greek origin.
    • Elina: “Bright light,” “torch,” or “of Helen,” Greek origin.
    • Ellen: “Shining light” or “torch,” Greek origin.
    • Evalisse: “Beautiful light,” Hebrew origin.
    • Haruko: “Child of light” or “spring child,” Japanese origin.
    • Helen: “Light” or “torch,” Greek origin.
    • Helena: “Shining light” or “torch,” Greek and Latin origins.
    • Inara: “Ray of light” or “heaven sent,” Arabic origin.
    • Keren: “Light,” Hebrew origin.
    • Kyra: “Light” or “throne,” Persian origin.[2]
    • Lena: “Ray of light,” “bright,” or “torch,” Greek origin.
    • Liora: “My light,” Hebrew origin.
    • Leni: “Light” or “from Magdala,” Greek and Latin origins.
    • Lenore: “Light” or “old north,” French and Greek origins.
    • Leonora: “Light” or compassion,” Greek and Arabic origins.
    • Luce: “Light,” Latin, Italian, French, and Roman origins.
    • Luciana: “Light,” Italian origin.
    • Lucienne: “Light,” French and Latin origins.
    • Lucile: “Light” or “shining,” French and Latin origins.
    • Lucinda: “Light,” Latin and Roman origins.
    • Lucy: “Light” or “light bringer,” Latin origin.
    • Lumi: “Light,” “filled with light,” or “snow,” Latin and Finnish origins.
    • Luz: “Light,” Spanish origin.
    • Nell: “Shining light,” horned,” or “hard as a horn,” Latin and Greek origins.
    • Noor: “Light,” Arabic origin.
    • Nora: “Light,” Irish, Greek, and Hungarian origins.
    • Orli: “Light for me,” Hebrew origin.
    • Säde: “Ray of light,” Finnish origin.
    • Sanaa: “Shining light” or “work of art,” Swahili and Arabic origins.
    • Svetlana: “Light” or “shine,” Slavic origin.
    • Yelena: “Shining light,” Russian origin.
    • Zohra: “Light,” “brightness,” “brilliancy,” “Venus,” or “flower,” Arabic and Persian origins.

    Meet the wikiHow Experts

    Dr. Hayley Elizabeth Wilson is a naming consultant and early childhood expert. She shares name meanings, naming tips, and other inspo to her over 20k followers on social media @little_name_library.

    Sonya Prior is a name consultant known as the BB Namer. She shares name content on social media to her over 30k followers across Instagram and TikTok.

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Section 2 of 5:

Girl Names that Mean “Bright,” “Radiant,” or “Shining”

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  1. These names might not literally mean “light,” but they’re perfect for highlighting the brightness, radiance, and shine of your future baby girl! Check out our favorite picks below:
    • Aki: “Bright” or “born in the autumn,” Japanese origin.
    • Amaterasu: “Shining over heaven,” Japanese origin.
    • Bobbi: “Bright fame,” English origin.
    • Cassandra: “Shining upon man,” Greek origin.
    • Chiara: “Bright” or “luminous,” Italian and Latin origins.
    • Claire: “Bright” or “clear,” French origin.
    • Clara: “Bright” or “clear,” Latin origin.
    • Clarabelle: “Bright and beautiful,” British and Latin origins.
    • Clarissa: “Bright” or “clear,” Latin origin.
    • Elara: “Bright” or “shining,” Greek origin.
    • Electra: “Shining,” “bright,” or “Amber,” Greek origin.
    • Eleni: “The bright one” or “torch,” Greek origin.
    • Ellie: “Bright, shining one,” English origin.
    • Faina: “Shining” or “crown,” Russian and Greek origins.
    • Ilka: “Bright, shining one,” Hungarian origin.
    • Laine: “Shining,” “brilliant,” “torch,” or “wave,” Finnish, French, and Greek origins.
    • Lainey: “Bright, shining one,” English and French origins.
    • Niamh: “Bright” or “radiant,” Irish origin.
    • Phaedra: “Bright,” Greek origin.
    • Phoebe: “Radiant, shining one,” Greek origin.
    • Roberta: “Bright fame,” German origin.
    • Robin: “Bright,” “shining,” or “famous,” German origin.
    • Roxanne: “Bright,” “shining,” or “radiant,” French, Persian, and Greek origins.
    • Siyana: “Radiant” or “shining,” Bulgarian origin.
    • Sorcha: “Bright” or “shining,” Irish and Gaelic origins.
    • Zariza: “Brilliantly bright” or “gold,” Hebrew origin.
Section 3 of 5:

Girl Names that Mean “Sunlight” or “Dawn”

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  1. There are tons of different types of light out there, and each of them has its own unique energy. If you’re looking for something with a warm, positive, bright vibe, consider going with a name related to sunlight, sunrise, or the sun itself! Prior says Aurora and Dawn are beautiful choices.[3] However, here are a few more picks to check out:
    • Alba: “Dawn” or “noble, shining one,” Latin, German, and Spanish origins.
    • Aurora: “Dawn,” Latin origin.
    • Cyra: “Sun” or “throne,” Persian origin.
    • Dawn: “Sunrise,” English origin.[4]
    • Eliana: “Sun,” or “my God has answered,” Hebrew, Latin, and Greek origins.
    • Elora: “Sun ray” or “God is my light,” Greek origin.
    • Eos: “Dawn,” Greek origin.
    • Nellie: “Sun ray” or “horn,” Latin origin.
    • Olena: “Sun ray,” “shining light,” or “torch,” Ukrainian and Greek origins.
    • Oriana: “Sunrise,” “dawn,” or “gold,” Latin origin.
    • Roxana: “Dawn,” “sunrise,” “bright,” or “shining,” Persian and Latin origins.
    • Solana: “Sunshine,” Spanish origin.
    • Solara: “Of the sun,” Latin origin.
    • Sol: “Sun,” Spanish origin.
    • Soleil: “Sun,” French origin.
    • Solene: “Sunshine,” Latin and Spanish origins.
    • Sunniva: “Sun gift,” Norse origin.
    • Sunny: “Sunshine,” “happy,” or “cheerful temperament,” British origin.
    • Yoko: “Sun child,” “good, positive child,” or “ocean child,” Japanese origin.
    • Zarya: “Dawn” or “daybreak,” Russian and Slavic origin.
    • Zorya: “Dawn star,” Slavic origin.[5]
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Section 4 of 5:

Girl Names that Mean “Moonlight” or “Starlight”

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  1. If sunlight isn’t quite your vibe, consider going for a name that means “moonlight,” “starlight,” or something closely related to these celestial bodies. Dr. Wilson shares gorgeous picks like Ayla (“halo” or “moonlight”) and Hesper (“evening star”), for example.[6] Check out even more options below!
    • Astra: “Star,” Greek origin.
    • Astraea: “Star” or “starry one,” Greek and Latin origins.
    • Ayla: “Moonlight” or “halo,” Turkish origin.
    • Citlalli: “Star,” Aztec and Mexican origins.
    • Cynthia: “Moon,” Greek origin.
    • Estelle: “Star,” French origin.
    • Esther: “Star,” Persian and Hebrew origin.
    • Hesper: “Evening star” or “dusk,” Latin origin.
    • Indu: “Moon” or “bright drop,” Sanskrit origin.
    • Jocasta: “Shining moon,” Greek origin.
    • Lunara: “Moon + light,” Latin origin.[7]
    • Mahina: “Moonlight” or “moon,” Hawaiian and Japanese origins.
    • Marama: “Moon” or “bright,” Pacific Islander origin.
    • Mayar: “Moon glow,” Turkish origin.
    • Mitsuki: “Beautiful moon” or “light and hope,” Japanese origin.
    • Nova: “New star,” Latin origin.
    • Selena: “The moon,” Greek origin.
    • Seren: “Star,” Welsh origin.
    • Soraya: “Star cluster,” Arabic origin.
    • Stella: “Star,” Latin origin.
    • Twila: “Twilight” or “star,” British origin.
    • Vesper: “Evening star,” Latin origin.
Section 5 of 5:

More Baby Girl Names

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  1. Looking for even more baby name inspo? We’ve got you covered! Check out the articles below to find a meaningful name for your little one:
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References

  1. Sonya Prior. Baby Naming Expert. Expert Interview
  2. Dr. Hayley Elizabeth Wilson. Naming Expert. Expert Interview
  3. Sonya Prior. Baby Naming Expert. Expert Interview
  4. Sonya Prior. Baby Naming Expert. Expert Interview
  5. Dr. Hayley Elizabeth Wilson. Naming Expert. Expert Interview
  6. Dr. Hayley Elizabeth Wilson. Naming Expert. Expert Interview
  7. Dr. Hayley Elizabeth Wilson. Naming Expert. Expert Interview
  8. https://www.pampers.com/en-us/pregnancy/baby-names/article/boy-and-girl-names-that-mean-light
  9. https://www.thebump.com/b/light-baby-names

About This Article

Dr. Hayley Elizabeth Wilson
Co-authored by:
Naming Expert
This article was co-authored by Dr. Hayley Elizabeth Wilson and by wikiHow staff writer, Annabelle Reyes. Dr. Hayley Elizabeth Wilson is a naming consultant and early childhood expert based in Liverpool, England. Dr. Wilson shares name meanings, naming tips, and other inspiration on social media @little_name_library to over 20k followers on instagram. Dr. Wilson is also a Senior Lecturer in Practice & Employability for the Child and Adolescent Mental Health & Wellbeing degree at Edge Hill University and has extensive experience working with children during early childhood. She received a Bachelor’s degree in Childhood and Adolescence Studies, a Master’s degree in Research, and a Doctor of Philosophy degree from Liverpool John Moores University. This article has been viewed 20,042 times.
1 votes - 100%
Co-authors: 2
Updated: July 21, 2026
Views: 20,042
Categories: Naming a Baby
Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 20,042 times.

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