indicate the level to which a name has been verified.
Gender Feminine
Usage Old Persian (Hellenized)
Scripts Ἄμηστρις(Ancient Greek)
Other Forms FormsAmastrinē, Amastris, Amistris, Esther?, Vashti?
Meaning & History
Ionic Greek variant of Άμαστρις (Amāstris), the Hellenized form of an Old Persian name, perhaps from a hypothetic name like *Amāstrī- (composed of the elements *ama- "strength, strong" and *strī- "woman"). It could be connected to the biblical name Esther, both perhaps derived from the Akkadian Ummu-Ishtar "Ishtar is (my) mother" (or Ammu-Ishtar). Alternatively it could be derived from an Old Persian word meaning "friend". It was borne by the wife of Xerxes and mother of Artaxerxes.