86 Baby Names Meaning Sun

Does your life revolve around your new baby? Do they light up the room? Or are they a summer-born kid, full of warmth, who needs a sunshine name to match?
We think Sunny is a great name for a boy or a girl, but if you’d like to consider some more options, here’s our list of the best baby names meaning sun.

There are lots of baby names that mean sunshine. Some of our favorites come from the words for the sun in different languages.

Unsurprisingly, there are lots of S names in this list, but check out some of the others too, for something else that might spark your interest.

Cen: From languages spoken in various parts of Africa.
Deo: Used in parts of Pakistan.
Helios: This one’s from ancient Greece.
Isaana or Sana: From Uganda, in East Africa.
Kaya: From a small region of Russia.
Kombe: This is the word for ‘the sun’ in Gabon, in West Africa.
Mahana: From various Polynesian languages.
Nai: Used in parts of China and India.
Nara: From Mongolia.
Nimo: Another Pakistani word for ‘the sun’.
Noi: From Thailand.
Nyma: Used in parts of China.
Sanya: From Zambia.
Saul: From Montenegro in eastern Europe.
Semis or Samis: From Sudan.
Sera / Sare: From Papua New Guinea.
Soari: This is the word for ‘the sun’ in one Romanian dialect.
Sol: Sound familiar? Lots of languages share this word for ‘the sun’.
Sola / Sole: From Norwegian and other old Scandinavian languages.
Soleil / Solely: From French.
Soreli: You’ll only hear this in a small region of Italy.
Sovilo or Sowilo: From runes used in ancient Germany and Norse religions.
Suna / Sunna: Another very old German word for ‘the sun’ (in modern German, it’s Sonne).
Suri: From various Persian languages.
Surya, Suraj, or Soorya: From Hindi and Bengali.
Suraya or Soraya: Used in parts of Pakistan and India.
Zin: From Old Dutch.
Zuna: Another old German variation.

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Baby girl names meaning sun

For mamas who want a sun name, but don’t want to go quite so literal, there are plenty of other female names meaning ‘sun’.

So whether you’ve got a sun goddess on your hands, or there was a spectacular sunrise on the day your little one was born, you’re sure to find something that suits her here.

Aelia: A derivative of Helios, the ancient Greek for sun Pronounced “eelia”.
Alba: A beautiful name meaning dawn in Spain and Italy.
Aki: What name means ‘sun’ in Japanese? Aki is one of our favorite Japanese names meaning ‘sun’. It is the female form of Akira.
Apolline or Apollina: The feminine form of Apollo, the ancient god of the sun.
Arani: From Sanskrit.
Aruna: The red color of dawn.
Aurora: You might know it best from Sleeping Beauty, but this is another name that means ‘dawn’, and also the name of the spectacular Northern Lights.
Brigid or Brigit: This one’s Irish, the goddess of the sunrise.
Cyra: From Iran.
Elaine: A popular name in Scotland, where it means ‘shining light’.
Eliane: One of several names with Hebrew roots that’s very popular in France.
Ellen: Meaning ‘ray of sun’ or ‘shining light’.
Helene: ‘Bright’ and ‘shining’.
Idalia: Meaning ‘I see the sun’.
Kalinda / Kalindi: A Hindi ‘sun’ name.
Kyra: A unique alternative to Keira or Kiera.
Oriana: With Latin roots, this beautiful name means ‘first light’.
Marisol: A popular name in Spain, this name conjures up images of the beach in summer.
Nanala: The Hawaiian word for ‘sunflower’.
Phoebe: The female version of Phoebus, an alternative name for Apollo.
Roxana: A very cool name meaning ‘bright’ or ‘dawn’.
Salana: The perfect blend of ’elegant and strong.
Sienna: The orange-red color of sunsets, and the origin of the name of the Tuscan city of Siena.
Siria: A Spanish word meaning ‘bright’ or ‘glowing’.
Solana: Another Spanish name meaning ‘sunshine’.
Solange: From the French meaning ‘angel of the sun’.
Sunniva: A Norwegian name that means ‘sun gift’.
Suria: The feminine form of Surya, a sun god.
Thea: A form of Theia, who was a Greek goddess of the sun and the dawn.

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Baby boy names meaning sun

You also have your pick of sun names if you’re expecting a boy.

From names to match a fiery personality to names for bringers of light, let’s take a look.

Aidan, Aiden, or Ayden: There are lots of ways to spell this one. It’s the Celtic word for ‘the fire of the sun’.
Albert: Will your son be ‘noble’ and ‘bright’? This might be perfect for him.
Altan: A word for the red color of dawn.
Akira: The Japanese word for ‘light’.
Anatoly: A Russian name for ‘the sunrise’.
Anwar: Meaning ‘bright’ and ‘luminous’.
Apollo: The Greek god of the sun.
Apricity: The word for the warmth of the winter sun.
Blaze: A name that captures the heat of summer.
Bobby: This one’s great for either gender. It means ‘bright’ and ‘shining’.
Dai: This Welsh name can be short for David or it can stand alone. It means ‘to shine’.
Dayton: Meaning ‘bright’ and ‘sunny town’.
Castor: ‘To shine’. In mythology, Castor had a twin brother, Pollux, and their stars formed the constellation Gemini.
Cyrus: An Iranian word for ‘the sun’.
Finlo: An old sun god from the Isle of Man between England and Ireland.
Freyr: A Norse god of peace and sunlight.
Haru: A great Japanese name that means ‘sun’, as well as ‘spring’, and ‘clear weather’.
Horus: An ancient Egyptian sun god.
Kiran: Meaning ‘beam of light’.
Lairus: From the Latin meaning ‘he shines’. In the Bible, this name appears as Jairus.
Lambert: An old German name that means ‘bringing brightness across the land’.
Phoebus: An alternative for Apollo.
Ravi: A Hindi Sun god
Roshan: A sun name that’s popular in India.
Sharik or Sharique: A name of Arabic origin, meaning ‘one on whom the sun shines’.
Samson or Sampson: He was known for his strength and long hair, but Samson’s name means ‘sun’.
Taner: A Turkish name meaning ‘born at dawn’.

What name means “Child of the Sun”?

If this is the meaning you want to capture, you have some beautiful options from history and myth. Here are our top suggestions:

Arki was the son of the Hindu sun god Surya. This is an old name with a lot of tradition which could be a unique, mythically charged moniker for your little boy.

Eliana means ‘daughter of the sun’, in its ancient Greek form. This name is rising in popularity across Europe. We think it’s the perfect blend of classic and cool.

While the Sun holds a captivating place in myth across almost all cultures, it’s not the only source of inspiration for powerful names that evoke the beauty of nature.

If these aren’t quite what you were looking for, why not check out our list of baby names that mean water or baby names that mean fire for more inspiration from legends, gods and goddesses, and the natural world.