Names That Mean Sun
Sun names feel warm before you even know what they mean. The French Soleil, Norse Sunniva, Sanskrit Surya and Arabic Shams all share one bright root idea, and they suit cheerful babies, golden-haired pets and characters who light up a room. Below are more than 95 names that genuinely mean sun, sunshine or sunrise, sorted into girl, boy and unisex names, with a section on sun gods and goddesses from world mythology.
For a whole-sky sibling set, pair these with our names that mean moon and names that mean star, or browse the broader list of names that mean light.
Girl names that mean sun: European and Nordic
The Latin sol, Norse sól and Greek helios have given Europe a surprising number of sunny girl names. For more like these, see our Swedish girl names and Welsh girl names.
| Name | Meaning | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Soleil | “Sun” | French |
| Solana | “Sunshine, sunny place” | Spanish |
| Marisol | “Sea and sun”; originally from María de la Soledad | Spanish |
| Sunniva | “Sun gift” | Old English / Norwegian |
| Solveig | “Sun” + “strength” or “path” | Old Norse |
| Sunna | “Sun”; the personified sun in Norse myth | Old Norse |
| Sólrún | “Sun” + “secret, rune” | Icelandic |
| Sóley | “Buttercup,” literally “sun island” | Icelandic |
| Helia | “Sun,” feminine of Helios | Greek |
| Sorina | From soare, “sun” | Romanian |
| Heulwen | “Sunshine,” literally “fair sun” | Welsh |
| Grian | “Sun” | Irish |
| Sunčica | “Little sun” | Croatian / Serbian |
| Sunčana | “Sunny” | Croatian |
| Päivi | From päivä, “day, sun” | Finnish |
| Päivikki | Elaborated form of Päivi | Finnish |
| Saulė | “Sun”; the Baltic sun goddess | Lithuanian |
| Eguzkiñe | From eguzki, “sun” | Basque |
Girl names that mean sun around the world
Sunny names from Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Check the characters for Japanese and Chinese names, since the meaning depends on how they’re written.
| Name | Meaning | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Savitri | “Of the sun,” from the sun deity Savitr | Sanskrit |
| Shamsa | “Sun” | Arabic |
| Khorshid | “Sun” | Persian |
| Mehrnaz | “Grace of the sun” | Persian |
| Günay | “Sun and moon” | Turkish / Azerbaijani |
| Yoko | “Sun child” when written 陽子 | Japanese |
| Haruhi | “Spring sun” (春日) | Japanese |
| Hina | Often 陽菜, “sun” + “greens” | Japanese |
| Arevik | “Little sun” | Armenian |
| Mzia | From mze, “sun” | Georgian |
| Narantuya | “Ray of the sun” | Mongolian |
| Tsehay | “Sun” | Amharic (Ethiopia) |
Boy names that mean sun
From the Old Testament’s Samson to the Hindu Surya, sun names for boys tend to feel strong and radiant. See also mythology boy names.
| Name | Meaning | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Sol | “Sun” | Latin / Spanish |
| Elio | From Helios, “sun” | Italian |
| Hélio | From Helios, “sun” | Portuguese |
| Helios | “Sun” | Greek |
| Heliodoro | “Gift of the sun” | Spanish, from Greek |
| Sorin | From soare, “sun” | Romanian |
| Samson | “Of the sun,” from Hebrew shemesh | Hebrew |
| Cyrus | Old Persian Kūruš; often linked to “sun,” though the origin is debated | Persian |
| Khurshid | “Sun” | Persian |
| Mehrdad | “Given by Mithra,” the sun | Persian |
| Aftab | “Sun, sunshine” | Persian / Urdu |
| Shams | “Sun” | Arabic |
| Shamsuddin | “Sun of the faith” | Arabic |
| Surya | “Sun” | Sanskrit |
| Suraj | “Sun” | Hindi |
| Suryansh | “Part of the sun” | Sanskrit |
| Aditya | “Son of Aditi”; a name of the sun | Sanskrit |
| Ravi | “Sun” | Sanskrit |
| Ravindra | “Lord of the sun” | Sanskrit |
| Bhanu | “Sun; light” | Sanskrit |
| Dinesh | “Lord of the day,” the sun | Sanskrit |
| Divakar | “Maker of the day,” the sun | Sanskrit |
| Bhaskar | “Maker of light,” the sun | Sanskrit |
| Prabhakar | “Maker of light,” the sun | Sanskrit |
| Vivasvan | “Shining forth”; a sun deity | Sanskrit |
| Mihir | “Sun” | Sanskrit |
| Arka | “Sun; ray of light” | Sanskrit |
| Anshuman | “Radiant,” an epithet of the sun | Sanskrit |
| Taiyo | “Sun” (太陽) | Japanese |
| Haruto | Often 陽翔, “sun” + “soar” | Japanese |
Unisex names that mean sun
Sunny names that work for anyone. Browse more on our cute unisex names list.
| Name | Meaning | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Sunny | “Sunny, cheerful” | English |
| Sunday | “Sun’s day” | English |
| Sunshine | “Sunshine” | English |
| Solstice | “Sun stands still” | Latin |
| Hinata | “Sunny place” (日向) | Japanese |
| Güneş | “Sun” | Turkish |
| Inti | “Sun”; the Inca sun god | Quechua |
| Kalā | “Sun” | Hawaiian |
| Mitra | Linked to Mithra, god of light and the sun | Persian / Sanskrit |
| Mehr | “Sun; kindness, love” | Persian |
| Naran | “Sun” | Mongolian |
| Arev | “Sun” | Armenian |
Names that mean sunrise and sunlight
For the softer glow of morning light.
| Name | Meaning | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Anatole | “Sunrise, the east” | Greek |
| Anatolia | “Sunrise, the east” | Greek |
| Asahi | “Morning sun” (朝日) | Japanese |
| Chenxi | “Morning sunlight” (晨曦) | Chinese |
| Zhaoyang | “Morning sun” (朝阳) | Chinese |
| Nikko | “Sunlight” (日光) | Japanese |
| Xi | “Sunlight, dawn light” (曦) | Chinese |
Sun gods and goddesses
Most cultures honored the sun as a deity. These names carry the sun’s meaning through myth — powerful choices for characters and pets. Explore more in our Egyptian god names and Norse god names.
| Name | Sun connection | Culture |
|---|---|---|
| Ra | Supreme sun god, sailing the sky in his boat | Egyptian |
| Aten | The sun disk, worshipped under Akhenaten | Egyptian |
| Apollo | God of light and music, later identified with the sun | Greek / Roman |
| Phoebus | “Bright”; epithet of Apollo as sun god | Greek |
| Hyperion | Titan of heavenly light, father of Helios | Greek |
| Sól | Goddess who drives the sun across the sky | Norse |
| Amaterasu | Sun goddess and ancestor of Japan’s imperial line | Japanese |
| Xihe | Goddess, mother of the ten suns | Chinese |
| Tonatiuh | Sun god of the Fifth Sun | Aztec |
| Kinich Ahau | Sun god | Maya |
| Shamash | Sun god and god of justice | Babylonian |
| Utu | Sumerian sun god | Mesopotamian |
| Mithra | God of covenants and light, closely tied to the sun | Persian |
| Dazhbog | Sun god, “giver of wealth” | Slavic |
| Arinna | The Sun goddess of Arinna | Hittite |
| Tapati | “Warming”; daughter of the sun god Surya | Hindu |
| Belenus | Possibly “bright one”; linked to the sun | Celtic |
How to choose a sun name
- Decide how literal you want to be. Sunny and Soleil wear their meaning openly; Sorin, Elio or Samson keep it as a hidden story.
- Pair with a moon name for twins. Sol and Luna, Surya and Chandra or Shams and Qamar are classic sun-and-moon pairings — see our twin names.
- Mind the characters. Japanese and Chinese names only mean sun when written with the right characters (日, 陽 or 曦).
- Think about the season. Summer babies and golden retrievers suit sunny names especially well — try our golden retriever names.
- Check the full name out loud. Short sun names like Sol, Ravi and Elio pair best with longer surnames.
Frequently asked questions
What name means sun?
Sol (Latin), Soleil (French), Surya (Sanskrit), Shams (Arabic), Sunniva (Norse), Helios (Greek) and Grian (Irish) all mean sun.
What girl name means sunshine?
Solana (Spanish), Heulwen (Welsh) and Sunny are the most direct sunshine names. Soleil, Sunniva and Sunčica are lovely alternatives.
What boy name means sun?
Sol, Elio, Sorin, Surya, Ravi, Aditya, Shams, Taiyo and Samson are all boy names connected to the sun.
Does Samson mean sun?
Yes. Samson comes from the Hebrew Shimshon, based on shemesh, “sun,” so it’s usually translated as “of the sun” or “little sun.”
What names mean sun and moon?
Günay (Turkish/Azerbaijani) combines gün, “sun,” and ay, “moon.” You can also pair names like Sol and Luna.