Sunday m & f EnglishFrom the name of the day of the week, which ultimately derives from Old English
sunnandæg, which was composed of the elements
sunne "sun" and
dæg "day". This name is most common in Nigeria and other parts of Africa.
Sunniva f NorwegianScandinavian form of the Old English name
Sunngifu, which meant
"sun gift" from the Old English elements
sunne "sun" and
giefu "gift". This was the name of a legendary English saint who was shipwrecked in Norway and killed by the inhabitants.
Sunshine f EnglishFrom the English word, ultimately from Old English
sunne "sun" and
scinan "shine".
Swati f Hindi, MarathiFrom the Indian name of the fourth brightest star in the night sky, called
Arcturus in the western world.
Tanith f Semitic MythologyMeaning unknown. This was the name of the Phoenician goddess of love, fertility, the moon and the stars. She was particularly associated with the city of Carthage, being the consort of
Ba'al Hammon.
Tara 2 f Hinduism, Buddhism, Hindi, NepaliMeans
"star" in Sanskrit. Tara is the name of a Hindu astral goddess, the wife of Brhaspati. She was abducted by
Chandra, the god of the moon, leading to a great war that was only ended when
Brahma intervened and released her. This is also the name of a Buddhist deity (a bodhisattva).
Tariq m Arabic, UrduMeans
"visitor, knocker at the door" in Arabic, from
طرق (taraqa) "to knock". This is the Arabic name of the morning star. Tariq ibn Ziyad was the Islamic general who conquered Spain for the Umayyad Caliphate in the 8th century.
Taygete f Greek MythologyDerived from the name of Mount Taygetos near Sparta, which is probably of pre-Greek origin. Taygete was one of the Pleiades in Greek mythology. By
Zeus she was the mother of
Lacedaemon, the founder of Sparta. A small moon of Jupiter is named after her.
Thalassa f Greek MythologyMeans
"sea" in Greek. In Greek mythology she was the personification of the sea. A small moon of Neptune is named for her.
Theia f Greek MythologyPossibly derived from Greek
θεά (thea) meaning
"goddess". In Greek myth this was the name of a Titan goddess of light, glittering and glory. She was the wife of
Hyperion and the mother of the sun god
Helios, the moon goddess
Selene, and the dawn goddess
Eos.
Thoth m Egyptian Mythology (Hellenized)Greek form of Egyptian
ḏḥwtj (reconstructed as
Djehuti), which is of uncertain meaning. In Egyptian mythology Thoth was the god of the moon, science, magic, speech and writing. He was often depicted as a man with the head of an ibis.
Titania f LiteraturePerhaps based on Latin
Titanius meaning
"of the Titans". This name was (first?) used by William Shakespeare in his comedy
A Midsummer Night's Dream (1595) where it belongs to the queen of the fairies, the wife of
Oberon. This is also a moon of Uranus, named after the Shakespearean character.
Toše m MacedonianDiminutive of
Todor. This name was borne by the Macedonian pop star Toše Proeski (1981-2007).
Tsukiko f JapaneseFrom Japanese
月 (tsuki) meaning "moon" and
子 (ko) meaning "child". Other combinations of kanji are possible.
Twila f EnglishMeaning unknown. Perhaps based on the English word
twilight, or maybe from a Cajun pronunciation of French
étoile "star". It came into use as an American given name in the late 19th century.
Usagi f Popular CultureMeans
"rabbit" in Japanese. This name was used on the Japanese television show
Sailor Moon, which first aired in the 1990s.
Utu m Sumerian MythologyDerived from Sumerian
𒌓 (ud) meaning
"sun". In Sumerian mythology this was the name of the god of the sun. He was the son of the moon god
Nanna and
Ningal.
Vega 2 f AstronomyThe name of a star in the constellation Lyra. Its name is from Arabic
الواقع (al-Waqi') meaning "the swooping (eagle)".
Venus f Roman MythologyMeans
"love, sexual desire" in Latin. This was the name of the Roman goddess of love and sex. Her character was assimilated with that of the Greek goddess
Aphrodite. As the mother of
Aeneas she was considered an ancestor of the Roman people. The second planet from the sun is named after her.
Wukong m LiteratureMeans
"awakened to emptiness", from Chinese
悟 (wù) meaning "enlightenment, awakening" and
空 (kōng) meaning "empty, hollow, sky". This is the name of the Monkey King, Sun Wukong, in the 16th-century Chinese novel
Journey to the West.
Xbalanque m Mayan MythologyPossibly from Classic Maya
balam "jaguar" and
k'in "sun" or
kej "deer". In the
Popol Vuh, the sacred book of the K'iche' Maya, Xbalanque and his twin brother
Hunahpu avenge their father's death at the hands of the underworld gods.
Xolotl m Aztec and Toltec MythologyMeaning uncertain, of Nahuatl origin, possibly meaning
"servant" or
"cornstalk". In Aztec mythology Xolotl was a monstrous dog-headed god who guided the dead to Mictlan. He was also associated with lightning, fire and the evening star. He was the twin brother of
Quetzalcoatl.
Yang m & f ChineseFrom Chinese
洋 (yáng) meaning "ocean" or
阳 (yáng) meaning "light, sun, male" (which is typically only masculine), as well as other Chinese characters pronounced similarly.
Yaxkin f & m MayanFrom
Yaxk'in, the name of the seventh month in the Maya calendar, derived from Classic Maya
yax "green, first" and
k'in "sun, day".
Yoda m Popular CultureThe name of a short green alien in the
Star Wars series of movies, first appearing in the second movie
The Empire Strikes Back (1980). The name has no meaning; it was devised for its sound by creator George Lucas.
Yōko f JapaneseFrom Japanese
陽 (yō) meaning "light, sun, male" or
洋 (yō) meaning "ocean" combined with
子 (ko) meaning "child". Other combinations of kanji characters can also form this name.
Yōsuke m JapaneseFrom Japanese
陽 (yō) meaning "light, sun, male" or
洋 (yō) meaning "ocean" combined with
介 (suke) meaning "help, assist". This name can also be formed from other combinations of kanji characters.
Yōta m JapaneseFrom Japanese
陽 (yō) meaning "light, sun, male" and
太 (ta) meaning "thick, big, great". Other character combinations are possible.