Sun

Meaning & origin

Sun is a short, bright word name drawn from English, but it also appears in several East Asian naming traditions with independent origins. In the United States, Sun first appeared in recorded data in 1902, but it remained rare for most of the 20th century. Its recent rise since 2007 has brought it to a rank of 6,446th in 2025, with a frequency of 1 in 131,390 births. The name hit its peak popularity in its very first year on record (1902), though that peak reflects only a handful of births. Sun has never been concentrated in any single state (no top states are listed in the data). As a nature name, it fits a modern trend toward single-syllable, meaningful word names, and its unisex appeal adds to its versatility. Parents drawn to names like Skye, River, or Luna may find Sun an equally luminous choice.

Sun is a modern English word name taken directly from the celestial body. It has also been used as a given name in East Asian cultures, where it can have different origins and meanings: in Chinese, it can mean 'grandson' or be a surname; in Korean, it can mean 'goodness' or 'pure'; in Vietnamese, it means 'spring'. As an English name, it came into occasional use in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, part of the trend of nature-inspired names.