A spelling variant of Soleil, the French word for "sun."
Solei is a variant spelling of Soleil, the French word for 'sun,' giving the name one of the most elemental and luminous meanings in the naming lexicon. The word descends through Old French from the Latin sol, the sun, which gave the Romance languages their solar vocabulary and which in Roman religion was personified as Sol Invictus — the Unconquered Sun — a deity whose feast day on December 25th was later absorbed into the Christian calendar. The name therefore carries layers of ancient solar symbolism: light, warmth, life-giving power, and the eternal cycle of rising and returning.
In French-speaking cultures, Soleil has occasionally appeared as a given name, though it has been used more as a poetic term of endearment — 'mon soleil,' my sun — than as a formal baptismal name. In the English-speaking world, actress Soleil Moon Frye, who rose to fame as Punky Brewster in the 1980s NBC sitcom, was one of the earliest and most visible bearers, her double celestial name (sun and moon) perfectly capturing a certain late-hippie, free-spirited naming aesthetic. The spelling Solei represents a softening or simplification of the French form, dropping the final L to create a more streamlined look while preserving the exotic sound.
Solei (and Soleil) belong to the broader family of nature-inspired, light-themed names that have flourished in the twenty-first century — alongside Luna, Aurora, Stella, and Nova. The name feels simultaneously romantic and modern, tied to French elegance but unencumbered by heavy historical associations. It reads as both gender-neutral in its celestial reference and culturally feminine in practice, making it a popular choice for parents who want something radiant, uncommon, and deeply meaningful.