150 Girl Names for Sun (With Meanings & Radiant Origins)

Looking for girl names for sun that feel warm, bright, and full of life? This list brings together 150 real, usable names drawn from sun myths, dawn goddesses, golden meanings, and words for light across more than a dozen cultures. Every entry includes its origin and true meaning, so you can choose with confidence. If you want one best pick to start with, go with Solana — it literally means sunshine, sounds beautiful in any accent, and works from the playground to the boardroom.

At a Glance

Short on time? Here is the fastest way through this list — pick the category that matches the feeling you want, and start with its top three.

Category	Top 3 picks	Best for
Names that mean sun	Solana, Marisol, Surya	parents who want the meaning front and center
Sunrise & dawn names	Aurora, Zora, Sahar	a fresh-start, new-beginning feeling
Sun goddess names	Amaterasu, Brigid, Aine	mythic depth and a powerful story
Golden names	Aurelia, Zara, Sonal	a warm, glowing sound
Sunshine & light names	Lucia, Noor, Elena	timeless names that are easy to wear
Rare & unique sun names	Arpi, Niamh, Solveig	standing out gently, with meaning intact

Girl Names That Mean Sun

These are the most direct answers to the search for girl names for sun — names whose literal meaning is the sun, sunshine, or sunlight. Some come from ancient sun-worshipping cultures where the sun was a god to be honored; others are modern coinages that caught on because they simply sound like warmth. And if you are naming a son as well as a daughter, our Murugan names for baby boy list follows the same honest-meaning approach for boy names.

Classic Sun Names from Latin, Greek & Spanish Roots

The Mediterranean world gave us some of the most enduring sun names in history. Latin sol and Greek helios are the roots behind dozens of given names, and Spanish added its own golden warmth with blends like Marisol. These ten are familiar enough to be spelled correctly on the first try, yet none of them feels overused.

• Solana (Spanish, ‘sunshine’)
• Thea (Greek, ‘goddess’ — in myth, the mother of Helios, the sun god)
• Helia (Greek, ‘sun’)
• Aelia (Latin, ‘sun’)
• Soleil (French, ‘sun’)
• Sole (Italian/Spanish, ‘sun’)
• Marisol (Spanish, ‘sun and sea’ — a blend of mar and sol)
• Apollonia (Greek, ‘of Apollo’ — Apollo is the Greek god of the sun)
• Heliodora (Greek, ‘gift of the sun’)
• Helianthe (Greek, ‘sunflower’ — from helios, sun, and anthos, flower)

Sanskrit & Hindi Names Carrying the Sun’s Power

In India, the sun — Surya — has been honored for thousands of years, and the Sanskrit vocabulary around it is extraordinarily rich. Names like Savitri come straight from the Vedas, where Savitr is a solar deity praised in ancient hymns. These names carry genuine spiritual weight for Hindu families and a beautiful sound for everyone else.

• Kalinda (Hindi, ‘sun’)
• Savitri (Sanskrit, ‘of the sun’ — from Savitr, the Vedic solar deity)
• Bhanu (Sanskrit, ‘sun, light’)
• Surya (Sanskrit, ‘sun’ — the Hindu sun god, used for girls in modern India)
• Bhanumati (Sanskrit, ‘full of sun’)
• Bhanupriya (Sanskrit, ‘beloved of the sun’)
• Savita (Sanskrit, ‘of the sun’)
• Arunima (Hindi, ‘radiance of the rising sun’)

Sun Names from Arabic, Irish, German & English Traditions

The rest of the world had its own words for the great light in the sky, and several became lovely given names. Arabic shams gives us two feminine forms here; Ireland contributes the radiant Sorcha; and English gives us the cheerful, unpretentious Sunny and Sunday — the latter the everyday word for the day of the sun.

• Shamsa (Arabic, ‘sun’)
• Shamsia (Arabic, ‘of the sun’)
• Sana (Arabic, ‘radiance, brilliance’)
• Sorcha (Irish, ‘bright, radiant’)
• Sunniva (Old English, ‘sun gift’)
• Heliana (German, ‘sun’)
• Helianna (German, ‘sun’ — a variant of Heliana)
• Elidi (Greek, ‘gift of the sun’)
• Sunday (English, ‘day of the sun’)
• Sunny (English, ‘bright as the sun’)
• Sunshine (English, ‘sunlight’)
• Solstice (Latin, ‘the sun stands still’ — the turning point of the solar year)

Sunrise & Dawn Girl Names

Dawn is the sun’s daily promise — the moment the night gives way and everything starts again. Names meaning dawn or sunrise carry that feeling of a fresh beginning, which is exactly what a new baby represents. Many of these come from goddesses of the morning in Greek, Roman, Slavic, and Vedic myth, while others are simply the ordinary, beautiful words different languages use for daybreak.

Dawn Names from Latin & Greek Roots

Aurora was the Roman goddess who flew across the sky each morning announcing the sun, and her name has been a favorite for centuries — it even inspired the name for the northern lights. Her Greek counterpart Eos plays the same role in older myths, while French and Spanish kept the everyday words for dawn as given names.

• Aurora (Latin, ‘dawn’ — the Roman goddess of the dawn)
• Aurore (French, ‘dawn’)
• Aube (French, ‘dawn’)
• Alborada (Spanish, ‘dawn’)
• Alba (Latin, ‘dawn, white’)
• Eos (Greek, ‘dawn’ — the Greek goddess of the dawn)
• Oriana (Latin, ‘golden, dawn’)

Slavic & Norse Dawn Names

In Slavic mythology, the dawn was guarded by the Zorya — sister goddesses who watched over the sun god’s hound to keep the world in balance. The name Zora and its variants are still widely used across Eastern Europe. From the Norse side, Dagny and Dagmar both contain dag, the Old Norse word for day, while Ostara is the Germanic goddess of dawn and spring.

• Zora (Slavic, ‘dawn’)
• Zarya (Slavic, ‘dawn’ — from the Zorya, dawn goddesses)
• Zorya (Slavic, ‘dawn’ — a variant form)
• Danica (Slavic, ‘morning star’ — the star that heralds the dawn)
• Dagny (Norse, ‘new day’)
• Dagmar (Scandinavian, ‘day maid’ — from Old Norse dag, day)
• Ostara (Germanic, ‘goddess of the dawn’)

Dawn Names from Arabic, Hebrew & Eastern Traditions

Arabic has several luminous words for the early morning — Fajr is even the name of the dawn prayer — while Hebrew gives us Shachar. In Sanskrit tradition, Ushas is one of the most celebrated Vedic goddesses, praised in hymn after hymn for driving away the darkness. From Japan, Asahi captures the exact image of the morning sun rising over the horizon.

• Sahar (Arabic, ‘dawn, morning’)
• Fajr (Arabic, ‘dawn’)
• Shurooq (Arabic, ‘sunrise’)
• Dhuha (Arabic, ‘morning light’)
• Shachar (Hebrew, ‘dawn’)
• Usha (Sanskrit, ‘dawn’)
• Ushas (Sanskrit, ‘dawn’ — the Vedic goddess of the dawn)
• Roxana (Persian, ‘bright, shining’)
• Asahi (Japanese, ‘morning sun’)
• Asa (Japanese, ‘morning’)
• Dawn (English, ‘daybreak’)

Sun Goddess Names for Girls

Every culture that worshipped the sun gave it — or her — a name, and many of those divine names make striking given names today. Naming a daughter after a sun goddess gives her a built-in story: the Japanese emperors claimed descent from Amaterasu, and Irish legend says Aine’s light could not be dimmed. If these Hindu-origin goddess names speak to you, our Bhagavad Gita names for baby girl collection has many more drawn from the same sacred tradition.

Mediterranean & European Sun Goddesses

The Norse called her Sol and the Germans Sunna — both words simply mean sun, and both goddesses drove the sun’s chariot across the sky. The Baltic Saule was one of the most beloved deities of Lithuania and Latvia. Ireland’s Brigid, goddess of fire and poetry, was so revered that she became a saint, while her fellow Irish goddess Aine is said to embody the midsummer sun itself.

• Sol (Norse, ‘sun’ — the Norse sun goddess)
• Sunna (Germanic, ‘sun’ — the Germanic sun goddess)
• Saule (Baltic, ‘sun’ — the Lithuanian and Latvian sun goddess)
• Brigid (Irish, ‘exalted one’ — goddess of fire, poetry, and the sun)
• Aine (Irish, ‘radiance’ — goddess of the sun and midsummer)
• Grian (Irish, ‘sun’ — a goddess whose name literally means sun)
• Sulis (Celtic, ‘sun’ — goddess of the sun and healing springs)
• Hemera (Greek, ‘day’ — goddess of the daytime)
• Theia (Greek, ‘goddess’ — mother of Helios the sun, Selene the moon, and Eos the dawn)
• Aegle (Greek, ‘radiance’ — a daughter of Helios, the sun god)
• Pasiphae (Greek, ‘all-shining’ — a daughter of Helios)
• Alectrona (Greek, ‘sun goddess’ — a daughter of Helios)

Vedic & Hindu Solar Goddesses

Hindu tradition honors the sun through a whole family of goddesses. Tapati glows with solar heat; Aruna is the rosy dawn who drives the sun god’s chariot; and the Gayatri mantra — one of Hinduism’s most sacred prayers — is addressed to Savitr, the sun. Aditi, whose name means boundless, is the mother of the Adityas, the solar gods themselves.

• Tapati (Sanskrit, ‘the burning one’ — a solar goddess)
• Aruna (Sanskrit, ‘dawn’ — the charioteer of Surya, the sun god)
• Gayatri (Sanskrit, ‘hymn’ — the Vedic hymn addressed to the sun)
• Aditi (Sanskrit, ‘boundless’ — mother of the solar gods)
• Sanjna (Sanskrit, ‘consciousness’ — consort of Surya, the sun god)
• Chhaya (Sanskrit, ‘shadow’ — consort of Surya, the sun god)

Sun Goddesses from Around the World

The sun was worshipped on every continent. Japan’s Amaterasu is the most famous sun goddess in the world — ancestor of the imperial line. The Inuit tell of Malina, who carries a torch across the sky. Egypt’s Hathor wears the sun disk between her horns, and her fierce counterpart Sekhmet embodies the sun’s scorching power. Each of these names carries a genuine mythological pedigree.

• Amaterasu (Japanese, ‘shining over heaven’ — the Japanese sun goddess)
• Malina (Inuit, ‘sun’ — the Inuit sun goddess)
• Chasca (Incan, ‘dawn’ — the Incan goddess of the dawn)
• Shapash (Canaanite, ‘sun’ — the Canaanite sun goddess)
• Arinna (Hittite — the sun goddess of Arinna)
• Hathor (Egyptian, ‘house of Horus’ — sky goddess shown with the sun disk)
• Sekhmet (Egyptian, ‘the powerful one’ — the solar lion goddess)

Golden Girl Names

Gold is the sun’s color on earth — the metal that never tarnishes, the shade of late-afternoon light on wheat fields. Golden girl names capture that warmth without naming the sun directly, which makes them wonderfully wearable: they sound rich and classic rather than themed. This group travels especially well across cultures, and several of its stars — Zuri, Zahra, Zara — also appear in our names for Black girls collection, where their glow is celebrated too.

Latin & Greek Golden Names

The Latin word for gold, aurum, is the root of the whole Aurelia family — Aurelia, Aurélie, and Aurea are essentially the same golden idea in Roman, French, and Latin dress. Greek gives us chrysos (gold) in Chrysa and Chrysanthe, and xanthos (golden-yellow) in Xanthe and Xanthia. Flavia, once a great Roman family name, described golden hair.

• Aurelia (Latin, ‘golden’)
• Aurélie (French, ‘golden’)
• Aurea (Latin, ‘golden’)
• Flavia (Latin, ‘golden, yellow-haired’)
• Xanthe (Greek, ‘golden, yellow’)
• Xanthia (Greek, ‘golden, yellow’)
• Chrysa (Greek, ‘gold’)
• Chrysanthe (Greek, ‘golden flower’)
• Cressida (Greek, ‘gold’)

Irish, Slavic & English Golden Names

Ireland’s Orla — ‘golden princess’ — has been beloved for a thousand years, and Orlaith is its older, more lyrical form. Slavic languages give us Zlata, a straightforward and pretty word for golden. English contributes the vintage charm of Goldie and the botanical Marigold, whose petals are the exact color of the sun at sunset.

• Orla (Irish, ‘golden princess’)
• Orlaith (Irish, ‘golden princess’ — the older form of Orla)
• Zlata (Slavic, ‘golden’)
• Goldie (English, ‘gold’)
• Marigold (English, ‘golden flower’)
• Amber (English, ‘amber’ — the golden gemstone)

Golden Names from Arabic, Persian & Indian Traditions

Persian zar (gold) gives us both Zareen and Zarina, long favorites across Iran, Central Asia, and South Asia. Arabic Zahra means radiant and shining — it is also the epithet of Fatima, daughter of the Prophet Muhammad. From India come Kanak and Swarna, both direct Sanskrit words for gold, alongside Sonal and Sunehri, the everyday Hindi words for golden.

• Zahra (Arabic, ‘radiant, shining’)
• Zara (Arabic, ‘radiance, blooming’)
• Zareen (Persian, ‘golden’)
• Zarina (Persian, ‘golden’)
• Zuri (Swahili, ‘beautiful’)
• Kanak (Sanskrit, ‘gold’)
• Swarna (Sanskrit, ‘gold’)
• Sonal (Hindi, ‘golden’)
• Sunehri (Hindi, ‘golden’)
• Swarnima (Sanskrit, ‘golden’)

Sunshine & Light Names for Girls

Not every sun name has to say “sun” outright. Names meaning light, brightness, and radiance carry the same warmth in a subtler register — and they include some of the most timeless names in the world. Lucia has been used for two thousand years; Noor is beloved from Morocco to Malaysia. These are the names that never feel like a costume, because light is a meaning every culture understands and loves.

Latin Light Names

The Latin root lux (light) is one of the most productive in naming history. Lucia is its most famous daughter — a saint’s name used across Europe and Latin America — while Lucinda, Lucienne, and Luciana are its elegant cousins. Clara and its relatives mean bright and clear, and Phoebe, though Greek, belongs here for its meaning: bright and radiant, borne by a Titaness of shining intellect.

• Lucia (Latin, ‘light’)
• Lucinda (Latin, ‘light’)
• Lucienne (French, ‘light’)
• Luciana (Italian, ‘light’)
• Clara (Latin, ‘bright, clear’)
• Claire (French, ‘bright, clear’)
• Chiara (Italian, ‘bright, clear’)
• Luz (Spanish, ‘light’)
• Elena (Greek, ‘bright, shining light’)
• Helen (Greek, ‘torch, bright light’)
• Phoebe (Greek, ‘bright, radiant’)
• Leocadia (Spanish, ‘bright, shining’)

Hebrew Light Names

Hebrew names for light are short, strong, and deeply rooted — or is the Hebrew word for light, and it sits inside every name in this group. Eliora stretches it into a full sentence: God is my light. These names are widely used in Jewish communities and increasingly loved by parents of all backgrounds for their crisp, luminous sound.

• Eliora (Hebrew, ‘God is my light’)
• Liora (Hebrew, ‘my light’)
• Meira (Hebrew, ‘one who gives light’)
• Ora (Hebrew, ‘light’)

Light Names from Arabic, Indian, Persian & Japanese Roots

Arabic Noor — simply “light” — is one of the most beautiful one-syllable names in the world, used for girls from Cairo to Jakarta. India offers a whole vocabulary of radiance: Roshni, Jyoti, Kiran (a ray of light), and Prabha. Persian adds Roshanak, “little light,” and Japanese gives us Akari — a name that sounds as bright as its meaning.

• Noor (Arabic, ‘light’)
• Noura (Arabic, ‘light’)
• Zia (Arabic, ‘light, splendor’)
• Roshni (Hindi, ‘light’)
• Jyoti (Hindi, ‘light’)
• Kiran (Sanskrit, ‘ray of light’)
• Prabha (Sanskrit, ‘light, radiance’)
• Roshanak (Persian, ‘little light’)
• Akari (Japanese, ‘light’)

Rare & Unique Sun-Inspired Names

If you love the sun theme but want a name nobody else at the playground will have, this is your section. These are genuine, usable names — not inventions — that simply never became mainstream. Some, like Arpi and Solveig, are well-established in their home countries; others, like Soliana and Aurette, are quiet treasures waiting to be rediscovered. Rare does not mean difficult: every name here is pronounceable on sight.

Rare Sun Names from World Cultures

Armenia’s Arpi is a direct, everyday word for the sun turned into a girl’s name. Romania’s Sorina carries the same meaning through the Latin root for sun. Norway gives us both Sunnva, a form of the Old English Sunniva, and the powerful Solveig — sun strength. And Wales and Ireland contribute Nia and Niamh, two short names that glow with brightness.

• Arpi (Armenian, ‘sun’)
• Sorina (Romanian, ‘sun’)
• Sunnva (Norwegian, ‘sun gift’)
• Solveig (Norse, ‘sun strength’)
• Niamh (Irish, ‘bright, radiant’ — pronounced “neev”)
• Nia (Welsh, ‘bright’)
• Auriel (Hebrew, ‘light of God’)
• Oriel (Latin, ‘golden’)
• Soliana (Latin, ‘sun’)
• Solara (modern name inspired by the word ‘solar’)

Rare Radiant & Luminous Names

This final group gathers names that shimmer rather than blaze. Aurette is French for “little golden one.” Zunaira is an Arabic name meaning guiding light. From India come some of the most poetic options on this entire list: Ahana and Arushi, both meaning the first rays of the sun, and Tejasvi, Ojasvi, and Ujjwala — three different Sanskrit words for radiant brilliance. Lux closes the list with a single syllable of pure Latin light.

• Aurette (French, ‘little golden one’)
• Zunaira (Arabic, ‘guiding light’)
• Lux (Latin, ‘light’)
• Deepa (Sanskrit, ‘lamp, light’)
• Vibha (Sanskrit, ‘radiance’)
• Tejasvi (Sanskrit, ‘radiant, brilliant’)
• Ojasvi (Sanskrit, ‘bright, radiant’)
• Ujjwala (Sanskrit, ‘bright, radiant’)
• Ahana (Sanskrit, ‘first rays of the sun’)
• Arushi (Sanskrit, ‘first ray of the sun’)

How to Choose the Perfect Sun Name for Your Girl

With 150 beautiful options, narrowing it down can feel overwhelming. These five practical steps will help you move from a long list to the one name that feels like her.

Say It Out Loud with Your Surname

A name lives in the mouth, not on the page. Say the full name — first, middle, and last — out loud three times, at normal speed and then quickly, the way a teacher calling attendance would. Solana Reyes flows; Solana Szczepanik takes more work, and that is fine, but you should know it before the birth certificate. Also try shouting it across a playground — you will be doing that for years.

Check the Meaning in Its Own Culture

Online name lists sometimes attach pretty meanings that do not hold up. If a name comes from a language you do not speak, verify it with a native speaker or a reputable dictionary before you commit. This list was built on verified meanings, but double-checking a finalist is always wise — especially for names from living religious traditions, where accuracy is a form of respect.

Think About Nicknames — Wanted and Unwanted

Every name will be shortened by someone. Aurelia becomes Aura or Reli; Sunniva becomes Sunny or Niva; Marisol becomes Mari or Sol. Decide whether you love the likely nicknames, because you cannot fully control them. If a name’s inevitable nickname bothers you, it is better to know now than at her fifth birthday party.

Consider How It Travels

Think about where your daughter’s life might take her. Names like Elena, Clara, Zara, and Noor are recognized and pronounced correctly almost everywhere in the world. More unusual picks like Aine, Niamh, or Sunniva are beautiful but will need spelling out — which is perfectly fine if you are ready for it. There is no wrong answer here, only a trade-off between familiarity and distinctiveness.

Trust the Feeling, Not the Trend

Name trends move in cycles — today’s rare gem is tomorrow’s top-ten list. Choose the name that gives you a physical reaction, the one you keep coming back to after browsing dozens of others. If Solana or Amaterasu or little Zora makes your chest feel warm every time you read it, that is your answer. Trends fade; the right name does not.

Captions & Social Shares

Announcing her name? Here are ready-to-copy captions for Instagram, Pinterest, and WhatsApp — just swap in your daughter’s name and post.

• She arrived with the sunrise — welcome to the world, little Aurora ☀️ #BabyGirl #SunriseBaby #Aurora
• Our little Solana is here, and she already lights up every room #GirlNamesForSun #NewBaby #Sunshine
• Named after the Japanese sun goddess herself: Amaterasu 🌅 #BabyNameReveal #Amaterasu #SunGoddess
• Golden girl energy, loading… Aurelia has arrived ✨ #GoldenBaby #Aurelia #BabyGirlNames
• Let there be light — Lucia is finally here 💛 #Lucia #BabyAnnouncement #LightOfOurLives
• Sunniva: our little sun gift, all 7 pounds of her 🎀 #Sunniva #BabyGirl #NordicNames
• Zora means dawn, and she is our brand-new beginning 🌤️ #Zora #DawnBaby #NameReveal
• Noor — our light, our love, our everything #Noor #BabyGirlNames #NewMom
• Marisol: sun and sea, just like the summer she was born in 🌊☀️ #Marisol #SummerBaby #BabyNames
• It’s a Sunday kind of forever — welcome, baby Sunday 💛 #Sunday #UniqueBabyNames #GirlNamesForSun
• Phoebe, bright and radiant, just like her mama’s smile ✨ #Phoebe #BabyAnnouncement #RadiantBaby
• Soleil is shining and so are we 🌞 #Soleil #FrenchBabyNames #SunshineBaby

FAQ

What is the best girl name that means sun?

Solana is the strongest all-round pick — it literally means sunshine in Spanish, is easy to spell and pronounce in most languages, and feels both warm and modern. Marisol and Surya are close runners-up if you want a compound meaning or a direct Sanskrit sun name.

What girl name means sunshine?

Solana means sunshine outright, and Sunny and Sunshine are the cheerful English word-names. For subtler options, consider Elena or Phoebe (bright, shining light), or Noor and Lucia, which mean light — the essence of sunshine without using the literal word itself.

What are some unique sun goddess names for girls?

Amaterasu (Japanese sun goddess), Aine (Irish goddess of the sun), and Saule (Baltic sun goddess) are striking and uncommon. Grian, Sulis, and Alectrona are even rarer, while Brigid and Sol are goddess names that feel familiar enough for everyday use.

What girl names mean golden or radiant?

Aurelia, Aurélie, and Aurea all mean golden from the Latin root aurum. Orla means golden princess in Irish, and Zlata means golden in Slavic languages. For radiance rather than gold, try Zahra, Zara, Sana, or the Sanskrit trio Tejasvi, Ojasvi, and Vibha.

Can I use a sun name from a culture that isn’t mine?

Yes, with care and respect. Names from living traditions deserve accurate meanings — never guess — and it is worth learning how the name is actually pronounced by its community. A quick check with a native speaker shows respect and saves your daughter years of corrections.

Conclusion

From Solana’s straightforward sunshine to Amaterasu’s divine glow, these 150 girl names for sun prove that humanity has been naming its daughters after the light for thousands of years — and for good reason. A sun name is a wish spoken at birth: may she be warm, may she be bright, may she rise every day. If you must pick just one, choose Solana — it is radiant in sound and meaning, effortless across cultures, and she will never have to explain what it means. For more inspiration in the same spirit, browse our names for Black girls collection, where many of these glowing names shine just as brightly.