Names that mean light: 100+ light names with meanings
106 names · Updated · By The Nomezo Editors · Save to Pinterest
Names that mean light include Lucy (Latin), Noor (Arabic) and Uriel (Hebrew, God is my light), and the theme runs through almost every language, from Svetlana in Russian to Jyoti in Sanskrit and Hikari in Japanese.
Below are more than 100 real names with a documented light meaning. They are grouped into girl names, boy names and unisex names, then names that mean bright or shining, names for radiance and first light, and the Germanic names built on bert, which means bright. Each note gives the meaning and the language of origin, with a pronunciation where it helps.
Can't decide? Shuffle 6 random picks
Guang
Light, written 光; Chinese. Say gwahng
Clara
Clear, bright; Latin, a classic in many languages
Alok
Light, vision; Sanskrit. Say ah-LOAK
Roshni
Light, brightness; Hindi and Marathi, from Persian
Xiaoming
Dawn and bright, written 晓明; Chinese
Dipti
Brightness, light; Sanskrit, used in Hindi, Marathi and Kannada
Find a light name on this page
Narrow 106 names by how common they were for US babies in 2025, by section, length or first letter, or search the meanings.
Girl names that mean light
From the Latin lux to the Hebrew or and the Arabic nur, these girl names all mean light.
- Luce 6 in 2025: Light; Italian, the everyday word for light. Say LOO-cheh
- Ora 40 in 2025: Light; Hebrew, a modern Israeli name
- Orit Under 5 in 2025: Light; Hebrew, a popular Israeli classic
- Orli 22 in 2025: Light for me; Hebrew. Say or-LEE
- Nura 49 in 2025: Light; Arabic, the feminine form of Nur
- Munira 28 in 2025: Luminous, radiant; Arabic, a classic girl's name
- Roshni 7 in 2025: Light, brightness; Hindi and Marathi, from Persian
- Fotini 6 in 2025: Light; Greek, the modern form of Photine. Say fo-tee-NEE
- Forough Under 5 in 2025: Light, radiance; Persian, the name of a celebrated Iranian poet
- Mitsuko Under 5 in 2025: Light child, written 光子; Japanese
- Aberash Under 5 in 2025: Shining, giving off light; Amharic, from Ethiopia
- Nuru 7 in 2025: Light; Swahili, from Arabic nur
- Eliora US #914: God is my light; Hebrew, the feminine of Elior. Say el-ee-OR-ah
- Meira 93 in 2025: Shining; Hebrew, the feminine of Meir. Say may-EER-ah
- Lucinda 116 in 2025: Cervantes' elaboration of Lucia for Don Quixote in 1605; from Latin lux
Boy names that mean light
Boy names that mean light, including several biblical names built on the Hebrew or, light.
- Uri 42 in 2025: My light; Hebrew, a biblical name
- Uriah US #650: Yahweh is my light; Hebrew, a soldier in the Book of Samuel
- Elior 37 in 2025: My God is my light; Hebrew. Say el-ee-OR
- Meir US #948: Giving light; Hebrew and Yiddish. Say may-EER
- Maor Under 5 in 2025: A light, a luminary; Hebrew. Say mah-OR
- Orel 6 in 2025: Light of God; Hebrew, a modern Israeli name
- Nehorai Under 5 in 2025: Light, illumination; Aramaic, a sage's name in the Talmud
- Munir 41 in 2025: Bright, illuminating; Arabic and Urdu
- Anwar 38 in 2025: More luminous, brighter; Arabic, used across the Muslim world
- Prakash Under 5 in 2025: Light, brightness; Sanskrit, used across India
- Alok Under 5 in 2025: Light, vision; Sanskrit. Say ah-LOAK
- Fotios 5 in 2025: Light; Greek, from phos. Fotis for short
- Berhanu Under 5 in 2025: His light; Amharic, from Ethiopia
- Argi Under 5 in 2025: Light; Basque, the Basque word for light
- Guang Under 5 in 2025: Light, written 光; Chinese. Say gwahng
- Mitsuo Under 5 in 2025: Light and man, written 光男; Japanese
Unisex names that mean light
Gender-neutral names that mean light, used for girls and boys.
- Lior 93 in 2025: My light; Hebrew, a favorite for all genders
- Ori 107 in 2025: My light; Hebrew, often a boy's name
- Zohar 21 in 2025: Light, brilliance; Hebrew, also a classic book of mysticism
- Roshan 30 in 2025: Light, bright; Persian, also common in India
- Lesedi Under 5 in 2025: Light; Tswana, from southern Africa
- Işık Under 5 in 2025: Light; Turkish. Say uh-SHUK
- Ming Under 5 in 2025: Bright, clear; Chinese, often written 明
- Munawar Under 5 in 2025: Luminous, illuminated; Arabic and Urdu
- Berhane Under 5 in 2025: My light; Amharic, for girls and boys
- Nuri 106 in 2025: My light; Arabic and Turkish, a boy's name that US parents now give mostly to girls
- Ziya 105 in 2025: Light, splendor, glow; Arabic and Turkish, a boy's name abroad and mostly a girl's in the US
Names that mean bright or shining
Bright and shining are close cousins of light. These names carry that meaning in Latin, Greek, Gaelic, Persian, Arabic and more.
- Phaedra 15 in 2025: Bright; Greek, a princess of Crete in myth
- Roxana 77 in 2025: Bright, shining; Persian or Bactrian, wife of Alexander the Great
- Işıl Under 5 in 2025: Shining, sparkling; Turkish. Say uh-SHUL
- Lampros Under 5 in 2025: Bright, brilliant; Greek, and its name day is Easter Sunday
- Taliesin 11 in 2025: Shining brow; Welsh, a sixth-century bard. Say tal-YES-in
- Azhar 37 in 2025: Brilliant, radiant; Arabic and Urdu
- Farshid Under 5 in 2025: Splendor and radiance; Persian, an Iranian classic
- Aydın: Enlightened, bright, clear; Turkish. Say EYE-dun
- Fulgencio Under 5 in 2025: Gleaming, shining; Spanish, from Latin fulgens
- Yair 124 in 2025: He shines; Hebrew, a judge of Israel in the Bible
Names that mean radiance and first light
Names for radiance, splendor, dawn and the first light of morning.
- Ziva 134 in 2025: Radiance, splendor; Hebrew. Say ZEE-va
- Ziv 16 in 2025: Radiance, brightness; Hebrew, also an old month name
- Noga 21 in 2025: Brightness, the planet Venus; Hebrew
- Abha Under 5 in 2025: Splendor, light; Sanskrit. Say AH-bha
- Prabha Under 5 in 2025: Light, radiance; Sanskrit, a classic Indian name
- Dipti Under 5 in 2025: Brightness, light; Sanskrit, used in Hindi, Marathi and Kannada
- Amitabh Under 5 in 2025: Boundless splendor; Sanskrit, from Amitabha, the Buddha of Infinite Light
- Sepideh Under 5 in 2025: Dawn, first light; Persian. Say seh-pee-DEH
- İlknur Under 5 in 2025: First light; Turkish, from ilk, first, and nur, light
- Zerah 7 in 2025: Dawning, first light; Hebrew, a son of Judah in Genesis
- Prabhat Under 5 in 2025: Dawn, morning light; Sanskrit
- Goizargi Under 5 in 2025: Morning light; Basque, from goiz, morning, and argi, light
- Xiaoming Under 5 in 2025: Dawn and bright, written 晓明; Chinese
Germanic names with bert, meaning bright
The old Germanic word beraht meant bright, and it hides inside many familiar names.
- Norbert Under 5 in 2025: Bright north; Germanic, a twelfth-century saint
- Dagobert Under 5 in 2025: Bright day; Germanic, a Frankish king
- Egbert Under 5 in 2025: Bright edge; Old English, a king of Wessex
How to pick the right name
Decide between light and bright
Names like Lucy, Noor and Uri mean light itself. Names like Clara, Niamh and the bert names mean bright or shining. Both carry the same warm idea, so choose the sound you love.
Look for the root you like
Light names cluster around a few roots: Latin lux (Lucy, Lucius), Hebrew or (Ora, Lior, Uriel), Arabic nur (Noor, Nuri) and Sanskrit jyoti and prakash. Picking a root makes it easy to find matching sibling names.
Check spelling and characters
Japanese and Chinese names change meaning with their characters. Hikari means light when written 光, so confirm the characters before you settle on the name.
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Pin it to a naming board, or tap the heart next to any name to keep it in your favorites on this device.
Names that mean light, checked: the popular names that don't, the true light names at record highs, and the fading bert names
By The Nomezo Editors · Updated October 25, 2026 · How we research names
Several of America's favorite girls' names are sold as light names but do not mean light: Eleanor (No. 12 in 2025), Nora (No. 20) and Ellie (No. 24) have other origins. The true light names are rising anyway: Lucy, from Latin lux, reached No. 25 in 2025, its best rank ever.
Every name on this page has a documented light, bright or shining meaning. The finder above narrows them by section, length or US popularity, and the tags show each name's 2025 US rank or count.
Names often called light names that are not
| Name | US rank, 2025 | What it really means |
|---|---|---|
| Eleanor | #12 for girls | From the Occitan Alienòr, perhaps the other Aenor |
| Nora | #20 for girls | Short form of Honora or Eleanor |
| Ellie | #24 for girls | Short form of Eleanor, Ellen or Elizabeth |
| Elena | #42 for girls | A form of Helen: probably torch, possibly moon |
| Lucas | #10 for boys | Probably from Lucania, a region of Italy; only possibly from Lucius, which does come from lux |
| Alina | #130 for girls | Short form of Adelina or Albina |
| Nell | 128 girls | Medieval short form of Eleanor, Ellen or Helen |
Sources: Behind the Name: Eleanor, Nora, Helen, Luke and Lucas, Alina, Nell; US Social Security Administration.
Light names in US data
- The bert names are at record lows. Robert, bright fame, was the No. 1 US boys' name for 17 years (1924 to 1939 and 1953) but fell to No. 92 in 2025, its lowest rank ever. Albert peaked at No. 14 in 1910 and was No. 614 in 2025, also its lowest (SSA).
| Name | US rank, 2025 | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| Aurora (dawn) | #15 for girls | Its best ever |
| Lucy | #25 for girls | Its best ever; low of #588 in 1978 |
| Clara (bright) | #63 for girls | Peaked at #7 in 1885 |
| Lucia | #83 for girls | Its best ever |
| Luciana | #273 for girls | Its best ever |
| Luciano | #305 for boys | Its best ever |
| Uriel | #446 for boys | Peaked at #386 in 2008 |
| Zahra | #540 for girls | Its best ever |
| Noor | #659 for girls | Its best ever |
| Eliora | #914 for girls | Its best ever |
Source: US Social Security Administration, births 1880 to 2025.
Light names with a story
- Lucy and the longest night. Saint Lucy's Day, December 13, fell on the winter solstice under the old Julian calendar, which is why it became a festival of light; in Scandinavia a girl in a white gown and a crown of candles leads the procession (Wikipedia).
- Svetlana came from a poem. Vasily Zhukovsky's 1813 poem Svetlana made the name popular, from Russian svet, light or world (Behind the Name).
- Same spelling, different name. Noor was the No. 1 girls' name in the Netherlands in 2025 (DutchNews), but there it is a Dutch short form of Eleonora (Behind the Name), not the Arabic word for light.
- Lamia has a darker twin. The Arabic Lamia means shining, but in Greek myth Lamia is a queen who became a child-stealing monster (Behind the Name).
- US data can mislead. Most of the 147 US boys named Aydin in 2025 carry a spelling of Aidan, not the Turkish Aydın, bright, so we show no US figure for it.
Sources
Frequently asked questions
What name means light?
Lucy and Lucia come from Latin lux, light. Noor and Nura mean light in Arabic, Ora and Lior mean light in Hebrew, Jyoti means light in Sanskrit and Svetlana means light in Russian.
What boy names mean light?
Lucius, Lucian and Lucien come from Latin lux. Uri, Uriel and Meir are Hebrew light names, Munir and Anwar are Arabic, and Prakash and Alok are Sanskrit.
What girl names mean light?
Lucy, Lucia, Luz, Ora, Liora, Noor, Nura, Roshni, Svetlana and Fotini all mean light. Luz is simply the Spanish word for light.
What name means God is my light?
Uriel means God is my light in Hebrew, and Uriah means Yahweh is my light. Elior means my God is my light, and Eliora is its feminine form.
Does Helen mean light?
Helen, Elena and Eleanor are often listed as meaning light, but Behind the Name gives none of them that meaning. Helen probably comes from a Greek word for torch, or possibly the moon, Elena is a form of Helen, and Eleanor comes from the Occitan Alienòr, so they are not on this page.
Does Eleanor mean light?
No. Eleanor comes from the Occitan name Alienòr, which may mean the other Aenor, after Eleanor of Aquitaine's mother. Nora and Ellie, often sold as light names too, are short forms of Eleanor and other names.
What is the most popular name that means light?
Lucy, from Latin lux, light. It was No. 25 for US girls in 2025, its best rank ever. For boys, Luciano led the true light names at No. 305, and Robert, bright fame, was No. 92.
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