The Atlas · Light

Light

Nearly every culture has reached for light when naming a daughter.

543 names · 88 traditions

The same root, across a whole language family

These are attested shared morphemes — not coincidences of spelling. Where we are not confident a root is shared, we say nothing and simply list the names.

nur / nour
light (Arabic)
Arabic, Turkish, Persian, Urdu, Malay
Aslinur, Asyanur, Aysenur, Azranur, Betulnur, Beyzanur, Bilgenur, Busranur
roshan-
light (Persian)
Persian, Urdu
Roshana, Roshanak, Roshanara
jyoti-
light (Sanskrit)
Sanskrit, Hindi
Jyothi, Jyoti, Jyotimati, Jyotimayi, Jyotirmayi
luc- / luz
light (Latin)
Latin, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese
Luci, Lucia, Luciana, Lucianna, Lucie, Lucilla, Lucille, Lucina
phos- / foti-
light (Greek)
Greek
Foteini, Fotini, Fotinoula, Fotoula, Photini

Every tradition, side by side

Sanskrit 77
Aadhira Aarti Achira Adhira Ahana Arati Bhamati Bhargya Bhasvati Chandrakanti Damini Deepa Deepthi Deepti Dilani Dipti Diya Dyutimati Gayatriprabha Hemaprabha Indukanti Indumathi Induprabha Jayaprabha Jyothi Jyoti Jyotimati Jyotimayi Jyotirmayi Kanti Kashvi Kiran Lalima Marichika Ojaswini Prabha Prabhamayi Prabhavali Prabhavati Raktima Rashmi Rashmika Ratnaprabha Roshni Ruchira Saudamini Shashiprabha Shobhika Shukla Sucheta Sudipti Suprabha Sushmi Sushobhana Tejal Tejasa Tejashri Tejasvi Tejasvini Tejaswi Tejaswini Tejomayee Tejomayi Tejorupa Ujjvala Ujjwala Ullasini Uroja Vibha Vibhamayi Vibhavi Vidyaprabha Vidyullata Vidyunmalini Vidyut Wipa Yashaprabha
Turkish 53
Aslinur Asyanur Aycan Ayfer Ayla Aysenur Aysima Azranur Betulnur Beyzanur Bilgenur Busranur Ecenur Elanur Elifnur Elifsena Esmanur Fatimanur Fatmanur Ferin Feryal Feyzanur Gizemnur Hiranur Ilaydanur Ilaynur Ilknur Iremnur Isik Isil Kubranur Meleknur Naznur Nisanur Nurbanu Nurdan Nurefsan Nurhayat Nurseli Nursen Nursima Nurten Ravzanur Rumeysa Sedanur Semanur Sudenur Tulin Yagmurnur Zehra Zehranur Zeynepnur Zumranur
Greek 50
Aegle Aglaia Alayna Aleighna Alena Auge Cassandra Cassie Elaina Elayna Elayne Eleanor Eleanora Elektra Elena Eleni Elenor Faidra Fani Foteini Fotini Fotinoula Fotoula Halo Helen Helena Helene Iokasti Jocasta Kyra Lambrini Lambroula Lampetia Leena Lena Lenio Lenore Leocadia Loukia Marilena Nellie Pasiphae Phaedra Phaenarete Phaidra Phoebe Photini Roxani Sostrate Sterope
Arabic 33
Adhara Alhena Duha Elyna Inara Jala Lamar Lamia Lamiya Madina Manar Mayar Meissa Muneera Munira Muzn Nayara Nibras Noor Noora Nour Nourhan Nur Rukhsana Rumaisa Saniyah Suhayla Wadha Zaara Zaha Zahra Zahwa Zia
Punjabi 29
Amanjot Charanjot Diljot Dilnoor Ekamjot Ekamnoor Ekjot Eknoor Gurjot Gurnoor Harjot Harkiran Harnoor Jasnoor Jeevanjot Karamjot Kirandeep Kiranpreet Manjot Mehaknoor Noorpreet Prabhjot Prabhnoor Roopjot Roopnoor Sahibjot Sewajot Simarjot Simranjot
Latin 24
Albina Capella Clara Clarabelle Clare Claribelle Clarisa Clarissa Flaminia Klaire Klara Leonora Luci Lucia Luciana Lucianna Lucie Lucilla Lucina Lucinda Lucy Lucyna Luminita Luz
Other 21
Aglaya Ailen Ainur Aoibhin Chiedza Gerelmaa Khanyi Laoise Lenora Mella Mitsuko Muireall Nato Navjot Rukhshona Soheila Soohyun Sothy Soyoung Sviatlana Tuya
French 17
Albane Albertine Berthilde Bertille Bertrande Claire Clairette Clarimonde Elaine Gilberte Gilbertine Huguette Leocadie Lucienne Lucille Norberte Philiberte
Hebrew 17
Karni Keren Leora Lior Liora Noga Ora Orit Orli Orly Orna Tair Zahara Ziv Ziva Zohar Zohara
Irish 16
Ailene Aine Aoibheann Aoibhinn Aoife Eadaoin Eibhlin Eileen Etain Laney Muriel Neve Niamh Nora Norah Sorcha
Icelandic 14
Adalheidur Alfheidur Birta Dagbjort Dalla Gudbjort Heidrun Iselin Ljosbjorg Ljosbjort Saebjort Salka Solbjort Thorbjort
English 14
Ellee Ellen Elli Ellie Ember Lainey Lori Misty Nell Roberta Robin Robyn Shirley Sunny
Persian 13
Forough Forouzan Haleh Mahdis Mahnoor Mehrsa Roshana Roshanak Roshanara Roxana Roxanne Shabtab Zarnish
German 12
Albertina Berhtrun Berta Bertholde Bertina Bertlinde Bertrade Bertrun Engelberta Landberta Norberta Trudberta
Italian 10
Chiara Clarabella Eleonora Elettra Fedra Filiberta Ilenia Kiara Kiarra Nella
Japanese 8
Akari Akemi Aki Akiko Haruki Hikari Sayaka Sayu
Georgian 7
Elene Lamara Mzevinar Natela Natia Tinatin Tsiala
Kurdish 6
Rewsen Rewshen Rojan Ronahi Sozan Tirej
Hungarian 5
Ilka Ilona Ilonka Nelli Villo
Kazakh 4
Aknur Balnur Nurai Zhanar
Russian 4
Alyona Faina Svetlana Yelena
Indonesian 4
Azzahra Cahaya Kirana Nurul
Tamil 4
Chithra Sudar Sudarkodi Vennila
Spanish 4
Fulgencia Leonor Luminosa Ruperta
Polish 4
Halina Leokadia Lucjanna Roksana
Armenian 4
Heghine Lusadzin Lusntag Shoghik
Romanian 4
Ileana Ilinca Lenuta Ruxandra
Tigrinya 3
Abrehet Feven Letebrhan
Hawaiian 3
Alaula Kalea Konane
Uyghur 3
Dilnur Gulnur Nurgul
Welsh 3
Eirian Elin Lleucu
Occitan 3
Esclarmonda Esclarmonde Flamenca
Mongolian 3
Gerel Saruul Tuyaa
Scottish 2
Aileen Ailie
Azerbaijani 2
Aytan Nurlana
Old Norse 2
Bergljot Brynhild
Korean 2
Chorong Hyunji
Swedish 2
Ellinor Sigbritt
Slavic 2
Jasna Lana
Czech 2
Lenka Nela
Filipino 2
Luningning Sinag
Swahili 2
Nia Nuru
Kyrgyz 2
Nuraiym Nurjamal
Urdu 2
Rubina Zohra
Ukrainian 2
Svitlana Yaroslava
Slovenian 1
Alenka
Lakota 1
Anpaytoo
Celtic 1
Aoibhe
Breton 1
Aouregan
Basque 1
Argine
Old Germanic 1
Bertha
Amharic 1
Birhan
Bulgarian 1
Bistra
Hmong 1
Choua
Balinese 1
Citrawati
Telugu 1
Divyasri
Albanian 1
Drita
Thai 1
Duang
Estonian 1
Eha
Finnish 1
Eila
Scottish Gaelic 1
Eilidh
Ethiopian 1
Eleni
Catalan 1
Elna
Cornish 1
Endelienta
Kalmyk 1
Gilyana
Quechua 1
Illari
Serbian 1
Jelena
Zulu 1
Khanya
American 1
Klarity
Macedonian 1
Lenche
Danish 1
Lene
Sotho 1
Lesedi
Dutch 1
Lieke
Maori 1
Marama
Vietnamese 1
Minh
Circassian 1
Nefin
Bosnian 1
Nejra
Malay 1
Nurin
Pashto 1
Palwasha
Khmer 1
Reaksmey
Somali 1
Sagal
Sakha 1
Sargylana
Dagestani 1
Shamsiyat
Lithuanian 1
Skaiste
Norwegian 1
Sunnhild
Berber 1
Tafat
Yakut 1
Tuyaara
Chinese 1
Xia
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