In Finland they’re called revontulet, or “fox fires,” after a legend of a magical Arctic fox whose tail whips up sparks as it races across the snow. Few sights feel as magical as the Northern Lights, ribbons of green, pink and violet rippling across a dark sky as if the night itself had been set alight. People have been telling stories about them for thousands of years. If you’ve fallen for that glow, or simply want a name with a little wonder in it, these seven choices carry a trace of the northern sky, from the goddess of dawn who gave the lights their name to dawn names from India, Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean.
The term aurora borealis is commonly credited to Galileo, who used it in 1619, combining her name with the word for the north. The obvious choice is also the most beautiful. Aurora is Latin for the dawn, and the Roman goddess of dawn bore the name. The Northern Lights are named after her. Aurora has a soft, flowing sound, and it works for a baby of any season. It suits parents who want the connection to be unmistakable. Closer to home, Usha is the Sanskrit word for dawn, and the Vedic goddess of dawn is known as Ushas. It’s a graceful, classic name that has been used in India for generations, and it carries the same idea as Aurora in a different tradition. For families who’d like a Northern Lights name rooted in Indian culture, Usha is a lovely bridge between the two. It’s short, warm and easy to pronounce around the world.
