Names That Mean Heaven
Heaven-inspired names carry a sense of peace, height and something just out of reach. Some mean heaven or heavenly outright, like Latin Celeste or Hawaiian Lani; others name a specific paradise, such as Eden, Jannah or Avalon; and many languages use one word for both “sky” and “heaven,” which is why Tian, Haneul and Akash appear here too.
This list brings together more than 90 of them, each with its origin, and gives you a quick sense of the tradition behind it. If you like the celestial theme, you’ll also enjoy our names that mean angel and names that mean sky, or you can browse every theme in name meanings.
Names that mean heaven or heavenly
The Latin word caelestis, “heavenly,” gave us Celeste and a whole family of related names that have been used across Europe since the early popes. Several are also lovely elegant girl names.
| Name | Meaning | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Celeste | Latin caelestis, “heavenly” | Latin / Italian |
| Celestine | French, “heavenly”; the name of five popes | French |
| Celestina | Italian and Spanish, “heavenly” | Italian / Spanish |
| Celestino | Italian and Spanish, “heavenly” (boy) | Italian / Spanish |
| Celestin | French and Romanian, “heavenly” (boy) | French |
| Celestyn | Polish, “heavenly” (boy) | Polish |
| Celia | Possibly from the Roman family name Caelius, linked to caelum, “heaven” | Latin |
| Cielo | Spanish, “heaven, sky” | Spanish |
| Ciel | French, “heaven, sky” | French |
| Heaven | English word name | English |
| Nevaeh | “Heaven” spelled backward; popular in the US since 2001 | American |
| Urania | Greek Ourania, “heavenly”; the Muse of astronomy | Greek |
| Nefydd | From Welsh nef, “heaven” | Welsh |
| Taivo | From Finnish taivas, “sky, heaven” | Finnish / Estonian |
| Dangė | From dangus, “sky, heaven” | Lithuanian |
| Zeru | Basque, “sky, heaven” | Basque |
Names from paradise and heavenly realms
These names point to a specific heaven or paradise from scripture, myth or legend. If faith is part of your choice, our Christian names and Muslim names lists are good next stops.
| Name | Connection to heaven | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Eden | Hebrew, “delight”; the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2) | Hebrew |
| Zion | The hill of Jerusalem, a biblical image of the heavenly city | Hebrew |
| Beulah | Hebrew, “married”; the promised land of Isaiah 62:4 and the hymn “Beulah Land” | Hebrew |
| Elysia | From Elysium, the Greek paradise of heroes | Greek |
| Avalon | The legendary “isle of apples” of King Arthur | Celtic / Arthurian |
| Arcadia | Greek region that became a poetic byword for paradise | Greek |
| Olympia | From Mount Olympus, home of the Greek gods | Greek |
| Pardis | Persian, “paradise”; source of the English word | Persian |
| Minoo | Persian, “paradise, heaven” | Persian |
| Jannah | Arabic, “paradise, garden” | Arabic |
| Jannat | Urdu and Persian form of Jannah, “paradise” | South Asian |
| Jinan | Arabic, “gardens (of paradise)” | Arabic |
| Firdaus | Arabic, “paradise,” the highest garden | Arabic |
| Cennet | Turkish, “paradise” | Turkish |
| Kausar | A river of paradise named in Quran 108 | Arabic / Urdu |
| Salsabil | A spring in paradise (Quran 76:18) | Arabic |
| Tasnim | A fountain of paradise (Quran 83:27) | Arabic |
| Ridwan | Arabic, “goodwill”; the guardian of paradise in Islamic tradition | Arabic |
| Vaikunth | The heavenly abode of Vishnu | Sanskrit |
| Kailash | Sacred mountain, Shiva’s heavenly home | Sanskrit |
| Amaravati | Indra’s city in heaven, “abode of the immortals” | Sanskrit |
Arabic, Persian and Turkish names meaning heaven and sky
In Arabic, Persian and Turkish, the words for sky and heaven are often the same, so these names carry both images. Explore more in our Turkish names.
| Name | Meaning | Gender |
|---|---|---|
| Sama | Arabic, “sky, heaven” | Girl |
| Aseman | Persian, “sky, heaven” | Girl |
| Sepehr | Persian, “sky, the heavens” | Boy |
| Falak | Arabic and Urdu, “sky, the heavens” | Girl |
| Arsh | Arabic and Urdu, “the divine throne, highest heaven” | Boy |
| Arshia | Persian, “throne; heavenly” | Unisex |
| Sema | Turkish, from Arabic sama, “sky, heaven” | Girl |
| Semanur | Turkish, “heavenly light” | Girl |
| Gökçe | Turkish, “heavenly, sky-blue” | Girl |
| Göknur | Turkish, “light of the sky” | Girl |
| Gökhan | Turkish, “khan of the sky” | Boy |
| Gökalp | Turkish, “hero of the sky” | Boy |
| Gökay | Turkish, “moon of the sky” | Unisex |
Hawaiian and Māori names meaning heaven
Lani means heaven, sky and also royalty in Hawaiian, so it shows up in dozens of names. Find more in our Hawaiian names list.
| Name | Meaning | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Lani | “Heaven, sky; royal” | Hawaiian |
| Leilani | “Heavenly flower” or “heavenly lei” | Hawaiian |
| Kailani | “Sea and sky” | Hawaiian |
| Kalani | “The heavens, the sky” | Hawaiian |
| Nalani | “The heavens, calm skies” | Hawaiian |
| Pualani | “Heavenly flower” | Hawaiian |
| Lokelani | “Heavenly rose”; the official flower of Maui | Hawaiian |
| Kaleilani | “The heavenly lei” | Hawaiian |
| Hōkūlani | “Heavenly star” | Hawaiian |
| Malulani | “Under heaven’s protection” | Hawaiian |
| Alohilani | “Bright sky, brilliant heaven” | Hawaiian |
| Nohealani | Nohea “lovely” + lani “heaven” | Hawaiian |
| Iolani | “Royal or heavenly hawk” | Hawaiian |
| Laniakea | “Immeasurable heaven”; also the name of our galaxy supercluster | Hawaiian |
| Rangi | “Sky, heaven” | Māori |
| Ranginui | The Sky Father of Māori tradition | Māori |
Asian names that mean heaven
Chinese 天 (tian), Korean 하늘 (haneul) and Sanskrit ākāśa all cover both sky and heaven. See our Chinese names and Indian names for more.
| Name | Meaning | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Tian | Chinese 天, “heaven, sky” | Chinese |
| Tianyi | Chinese 天一, “heaven’s one” | Chinese |
| Tianming | Chinese 天明, “heavenly brightness, dawn” | Chinese |
| Tianle | Chinese 天乐, “heavenly joy” | Chinese |
| Tianyu | Chinese 天宇, “the heavens, the universe” | Chinese |
| Tianci | Chinese 天赐, “gift from heaven” | Chinese |
| Haneul | Korean, “sky, heaven” | Korean |
| Sora | Japanese 空, “sky” | Japanese |
| Amane | Can be written 天音, “heavenly sound” | Japanese |
| Tenma | Japanese 天馬, “heavenly horse” | Japanese |
| Amaterasu | “Shining in heaven”; the Shinto sun goddess | Japanese |
| Thiên Ân | Vietnamese, “heaven’s grace” | Vietnamese |
| Namkha | Tibetan, “sky, space” | Tibetan |
| Akash | Sanskrit, “sky, heaven, ether” | Indian |
| Gagan | Sanskrit, “sky, heaven” | Indian |
| Gagandeep | Punjabi, “lamp of the heavens” | Indian (Sikh) |
| Ambar | Sanskrit, “sky” | Indian |
| Ambarish | Sanskrit, “lord of the sky” | Indian |
| Nabha | Sanskrit, “sky” | Indian |
| Vyom | Sanskrit, “sky, heaven” | Indian |
| Divya | Sanskrit, “divine, heavenly” | Indian |
| Divyansh | Sanskrit, “part of the divine” | Indian |
| Indra | King of the gods and ruler of heaven (Svarga) | Indian |
| Indrani | Queen of heaven, wife of Indra | Indian |
How to pick a heavenly name
- Decide whether you want a literal meaning (Celeste, Lani, Tian) or a symbolic one (Eden, Avalon, Zion). Literal meanings are easier to explain.
- Check spelling in your community: Nevaeh is well known in the US but may need explaining elsewhere.
- Hawaiian names carry cultural weight; learn the pronunciation (Leilani is LAY-lah-nee) and use them with respect.
- Combine a heavenly middle name with a grounded first name, such as Rose Celeste or Owen Zion. Our middle names list has more pairings.
- For sibling sets, pair heaven with a star or moon name from names that mean star.
Frequently asked questions
What name literally means heaven?
Celeste (Latin, heavenly), Lani (Hawaiian, heaven), Tian (Chinese, heaven) and Haneul (Korean, sky/heaven) all carry the meaning directly.
Is Nevaeh a real name?
Yes. Nevaeh is “heaven” spelled backward. It jumped in popularity after 2001 and has been a top-100 US girl name for many years (SSA data).
What boy names mean heaven?
Celestino, Celestin, Sepehr, Nefydd, Tianming, Akash, Vyom, Gökhan and Kalani are good choices.
What Arabic name means paradise?
Jannah, Firdaus and Jinan all refer to paradise, while Salsabil, Tasnim and Kausar are names of springs and rivers in paradise mentioned in the Quran.
What does Leilani mean?
Leilani is Hawaiian and usually translated as “heavenly flower” or “heavenly lei,” from lei (garland) and lani (heaven, sky).