96 Names That Mean Sun: Radiant, Mythic, and Cultural Names Full of Light

Names that mean sun always seem to carry more than just a definition. They carry heat, light, life, clarity. Maybe you’re drawn to sun names because they feel bright and golden. Or maybe it’s the energy they radiate—warmth, power, rebirth, visibility. In this article, you’ll wander through 96 names that mean sun or glow like it, drawn from languages, myths, nature, and even fiction. Some burn bold and fiery. Others shine gently, like dawn. Either way, each name is a beam.

Names That Directly Mean “Sun” in Other Languages

These are names that literally mean “sun” in their original language. They shine simply and clearly.

1. Sol – Latin and Spanish for “sun”

2. Soleil – French for “sun”

3. Surya – Sanskrit and Hindi for “sun”

4. Helios – Greek sun god, also means “sun”

5. Elio – Italian variant of Helios

6. Haru – Japanese, “sun” or “spring” depending on kanji

7. Shams – Arabic for “sun”

8. Ravi – Sanskrit, “sun”

9. Taiyo – Japanese, “sun”

10. Aftab – Persian, “sun”

11. Solmaz – Turkish, “never fades,” poetic sun reference

12. Hinata – Japanese, “sunny place”

13. Solea – Invented from “sol” root

14. Sunniva – Old Norse, “sun gift”

15. Haul – Welsh, “sun”

16. Güneş – Turkish for “sun”

17. Sunna – Norse personification of the sun

18. Sólveig – Old Norse, “sun strength”

19. Xihe – Chinese solar goddess and word for sun

20. Mehri – Persian, “kindness” and solar-associated root

Each of these names brings the sun into language—short, bright, and direct.

Sun Gods, Goddesses, and Divine Figures

Throughout time, the sun has been a god, a goddess, or a fiery divine force. These names come from mythology, where the sun isn’t just a light source—it’s a being.

1. Ra – Egyptian sun god
2. Amaterasu – Japanese sun goddess
3. Inti – Incan sun god
4. Tonatiuh – Aztec sun god
5. Huitzilopochtli – Aztec warrior sun god
6. Mithra – Persian deity associated with sun and truth
7. Freyr – Norse god associated with sunshine and fertility
8. Utu – Sumerian sun god
9. Hathor – Egyptian goddess with solar aspects
10. Sulis – Celtic sun and healing goddess
11. Lugh – Celtic god of light and craftsmanship
12. Horus – Egyptian solar sky god
13. Shamash – Babylonian god of sun and justice
14. Bel – Slavic solar deity
15. Amun-Ra – Composite Egyptian sun god
16. Belenus – Celtic deity associated with sun and light
17. Ngai – Kenyan sun and creator god
18. Sól – Alternate spelling of Norse sun goddess
19. Koyash – Turkic sun god

These names are larger than life—sun as source, destroyer, and divine protector.

Names That Radiate Like the Sun Without Saying It

Some names don’t literally mean “sun,” but they beam with warmth, brightness, or fire. These names feel like the sun, even if they don’t spell it out.

1. Aurelia – Latin, “golden”
2. Kalinda – Sanskrit, associated with the sun’s river
3. Cyrus – Persian, “sun” or “throne”
4. Oriana – Latin, “sunrise” or “dawn”
5. Marisol – Spanish, “sea and sun”
6. Apollonia – Feminine form of Apollo, Greek god of the sun
7. Alina – “Bright, beautiful,” Slavic and Arabic roots
8. Soraya – Pleiades, but often associated with celestial light
9. Lucian – “Light,” with solar resonance
10. Aelia – Latin, “sun” in poetic form
11. Chiara – Italian, “light, clarity”
12. Cyra – Persian, “sun, throne”
13. Phoebus – Epithet of Apollo, “radiant”
14. Sunny – Modern, cheerful, direct
15. Elaia – Variant of radiant light
16. Liora – Hebrew, “my light”
17. Ziva – Hebrew, “radiance, brilliance”
18. Clarion – Bright, clear sound and metaphor
19. Sorin – Romanian, “sun”

These names capture the emotional quality of sunlight—glow, hope, beauty.

Nature, Color, and Season-Based Names Inspired by Sunlight

The sun colors everything: seasons, skies, and even feelings. These names come from nature, seasons, and elements that speak to the presence of sunlight.

1. Summer – The season of sun
2. Ember – Glowing like coals
3. Dawn – The rising of the sun
4. Solana – “Sunlight” in Spanish form
5. Saffron – Golden spice, symbol of warmth
6. Flame – Fire and passion
7. Solstice – Turning point of sunlight
8. Aurora – Northern lights, sun-adjacent beauty
9. Zephyra – Breeze of summer
10. Topaz – Gemstone with sun-touched hue
11. Amber – Fossil resin, golden glow
12. Maple – Autumn warmth and color
13. Goldie – Informal, sun-colored
14. Sorrel – Herbaceous but often golden in tone
15. Brisa – Spanish for breeze, evoking heat
16. Harvest – Tied to the sun’s cycle
17. Rayen – Mapuche name, “flower,” with sun warmth
18. Gloriana – Glory, splendor
19. Sunflower – Nature’s most literal sun-lover

These names are textured—earthy, seasonal, golden, and warm.

Fictional and Literary Names That Feel Like Sunshine

These names glow with literary or pop-cultural light. Some are invented. Some come from fantasy. But all have a solar feel that makes them shine.

1. Solara – Fictional and futuristic, but rooted in “sol”
2. Aelin – From Throne of Glass, fierce and fire-tied
3. Lucien – A Court of Thorns and Roses, sunlight and loyalty
4. Auriel – Angelic, radiant
5. Azula – From Avatar, firebending royalty
6. Starfire – Literally solar-powered in DC Comics
7. Seraphina – Burning one, radiant and angelic
8. Dazai – Literary and anime crossover, poetic brightness
9. Arien – Tolkien’s Maia of the sun
10. Luxa – The Underland Chronicles, light-rooted name
11. Pyra – Game/fantasy name linked to fire
12. Solene – Repeating here for its glowing tone
13. Flannery – From Pokémon, sun-gym leader
14. Elidi – Fictional, Greek-inspired, meaning “gift of sun”
15. Thalor – Invented name with golden energy
16. Valkyra – Inspired by Norse fire warriors
17. Cressida – Soft, golden-toned Shakespearean name
18. Rhiannon – Not sun directly, but glowing mythology
19. Araceli – Spanish, “altar of the sky,” heavenly light

These names show how even fiction finds ways to name the sun—through beauty, warmth, and myth reborn.