Names from the Olympian Gods
Apollo — God of sun, music, and prophecy. A name that radiates light and creativity.
Athena — Goddess of wisdom and strategic warfare. Strong, intelligent, and independent.
Artemis — Goddess of the hunt and the moon. For a child who will be fierce and free.
Hermes — Messenger god of travelers and wit. Quick-minded and adventurous.
Selene — Titaness of the moon. Ethereal and beautiful.
Iris — Goddess of the rainbow. Colorful, hopeful, and bright.
Daphne — The nymph who became a laurel tree to escape Apollo. Means "laurel."
Cassandra — Trojan prophetess. Means "she who entangles men."
Hero Names
Jason — Leader of the Argonauts. Means "healer." One of the most popular mythology names.
Helen — The face that launched a thousand ships. Means "shining light."
Penelope — Odysseus's faithful wife. Means "weaver." Symbolizes loyalty and patience.
Hector — Troy's greatest warrior. Means "holding fast." A name of honor and courage.
Orion — The great hunter turned constellation. Bold and celestial.
Theseus — Hero of Athens, slayer of the Minotaur. Brave and clever.
Ariadne — The princess who saved Theseus. Means "most holy."
Calliope — Muse of epic poetry. Means "beautiful voice."
Nature & Elemental Names
Zephyr — God of the gentle west wind. Soft and springlike.
Phoebe — Titaness meaning "bright, shining." Also a moon of Saturn.
Gaia — Mother Earth herself. Grounding and powerful.
Thalia — Muse of comedy. Means "to flourish."
Clio — Muse of history. Short, elegant, and meaningful.
Rhea — Mother of the Olympian gods. Means "flowing."
Io — A maiden loved by Zeus. Simple, striking, and memorable.
Echo — The nymph who could only repeat others' words. Haunting and poetic.
Powerful & Bold Names
Ajax — The great warrior of Troy. Strong and unyielding.
Ares — God of war. Fierce and fearless.
Nike — Goddess of victory. Triumphant.
Perseus — Slayer of Medusa. Heroic and destined for greatness.
Elektra — Meaning "bright, shining." Dramatic and powerful.
Pandora — "All-gifted." The first woman, bearer of hope.
Xanthe — Means "golden-haired." Rare and radiant.
Nereus — Ancient sea god. Means "water." Calm and deep.
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Mythological Names Hiding in Plain Sight
Many everyday names already come from Greek gods, just at one remove. Dennis and Denise descend from Dionysios, "belonging to Dionysus". Demetrius, Dmitri and Demi come from Demeter. Cynthia was an epithet of Artemis, born on Mount Cynthus on Delos, and Delia comes from the island itself. Phoebe was an epithet of Artemis as well as a Titaness's name, and Apollo was called Phoebus. Chloe, "green shoot", was a cult title of Demeter at Athens. Hermione was the daughter of Helen and Menelaus and gets a fresh look from parents who know her only from Harry Potter. Isidore means "gift of Isis", a reminder that Greeks happily adopted foreign gods into their names.
Lesser-Known Names with Real Myths Behind Them
- Thea / Theia: the Titaness of sight and shining light, mother of Helios, Selene and Eos.
- Maia: the eldest of the Pleiades and mother of Hermes. She bore him in a cave on Mount Cyllene.
- Hebe: goddess of youth, cupbearer of the gods and bride of the deified Heracles. Easy to say and rarely used.
- Leto: mother of Apollo and Artemis, hounded across the world by Hera until Delos agreed to receive her.
- Urania and Melpomene: the Muses of astronomy and tragedy. The full list of nine is on the Muses page.
- Evander: an Arcadian exile who, in Virgil's Aeneid, settles on the future site of Rome and allies with Aeneas.
- Leander: the young man who swam the Hellespont each night to reach Hero.
- Castor: the mortal twin of the Dioscuri, a horse-tamer who shares immortality with his brother on alternate days.
- Nestor: the old, talkative and widely respected king of Pylos in the Iliad and Odyssey.
- Linus: a mythical singer and teacher of music. One story says Heracles killed him with a lyre after a lesson went badly.
Names to Think Twice About
Some popular choices come with darker stories than parents expect. Medea killed her own children in Euripides' play (see Medea). Narcissus gave his name to self-obsession. Cassandra is a beautiful name, but her story is one of a prophetess cursed never to be believed, raped during the sack of Troy and murdered at Mycenae (see Cassandra). Persephone is now widely used and is often shortened to Percy or Sephy, but her best-known myth is an abduction. Daphne recalls a nymph who escaped a god only by ceasing to be human. None of these is a reason to rule a name out, but it helps to know the story in advance, because someone will eventually tell your child.
Name meanings deserve the same caution. Baby-name sites often present confident translations that scholars do not accept. The origins of Helen, Athena, Artemis and Apollo are uncertain or unknown, and the popular meaning of Cassandra, "she who entangles men", has little support. Meanings with solid etymologies include Nike ("victory"), Irene/Eirene ("peace"), Sophia ("wisdom"), Gaia ("earth"), Selene ("moon"), Penelope (related to a word for a kind of duck, though "weaver" is often given), Calliope ("beautiful voice") and Xanthe ("yellow, golden").
Pronunciation, Spelling and Popularity
English has its own conventions for these names. Persephone is "per-SEF-uh-nee", Penelope "puh-NEL-uh-pee", Calliope "kuh-LY-uh-pee" and Ariadne "ar-ee-AD-nee". Greek "k" usually became "c" in Latin, which is why both Kallisto and Callisto are correct. Several names have climbed sharply in US Social Security rankings over the past decade, notably Penelope, Athena, Apollo and Atlas, so parents who want something uncommon may want to look at the names in the lists above instead. More on the people behind the names is in Penelope, Helen of Troy and Artemis.
Ancient sources
- Hesiod, Theogony 77–79: names the nine Muses (Clio, Euterpe, Thalia, Melpomene, Terpsichore, Erato, Polyhymnia, Urania and Calliope) and later the Titanesses, the Graces and the Horae.
- Homer, Odyssey: the main source for Penelope, Telemachus, Nestor and Helen's later life with Menelaus and their daughter Hermione.
- Homeric Hymn to Hermes: Maia and the birth of Hermes on Mount Cyllene.
- Homeric Hymn to Apollo: Leto's wanderings and the birth of Apollo on Delos, home of the epithets Delia and Cynthia.
- Ovid, Metamorphoses: Daphne, Echo, Narcissus, Arachne, Callisto and many other figures whose names are now used for children.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most popular Greek mythology baby name?
In the United States, Penelope has been the most successful in recent years, followed by names such as Athena, Atlas and Apollo. Older mythological names like Jason and Helen were most popular decades ago.
Is it bad luck to name a baby after a Greek god?
There is no ancient taboo against it. Greeks commonly named children after gods, using forms like Apollonios, Demetrios or Dionysios, and these names were considered a mark of the god's favour.
What are good Greek mythology names for boys?
Some of the best-attested choices are Castor, Leander, Evander, Nestor, Linus, Jason, Orion and Atlas. Less common options include Hector and Zephyr.
What Greek goddess names are rare?
Hebe, Theia, Maia, Eirene, Urania and Thalia remain fairly uncommon, each with a clear and positive myth behind it.