Browse Names

Acantha Ἄκανθα f Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Latinized form of Greek Ἄκανθα (Akantha), which meant "thorn, prickle". In Greek legend she was a nymph loved by Apollo.

Achlys Ἀχλύς f Greek Mythology
Means "mist, darkness" in Greek. According to a poem by Hesiod, she was one of the figures portrayed on the shield of Herakles. She is described as a wraithlike woman personifying death and sorrow.

Adrastea Ἀδράστεια f Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Latinized form of Adrasteia. One of Jupiter's moons bears this name.

Adrasteia Ἀδράστεια f Greek Mythology
Feminine form of Adrastos. In Greek mythology this name was borne by a nymph who fostered the infant Zeus. This was also another name of the goddess Nemesis.

Aegle Αἴγλη f Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Latinized form of the Greek Αἴγλη (Aigle), which meant "light, radiance, glory". This was the name of several characters in Greek myth, including one of the Heliades and one of the Hesperides.

Aella Ἄελλα f Greek Mythology
Means "whirlwind" in Greek. In Greek myth this was the name of an Amazon warrior killed by Herakles during his quest for Hippolyta's girdle.

Afina f Greek Mythology (Russified, Ukrainianized)
Russian and Ukrainian form of Athena.

Afrodita f Greek Mythology (Hispanicized, Russified)
Spanish and Russian form of Aphrodite.

Afrodite f Greek Mythology (Italianized, Portuguese-style)
Italian and Portuguese form of Aphrodite.

Agaue Ἀγαυή f Greek Mythology
Means "illustrious, noble" in Greek. This was the mother of Pentheus in Greek myth.

Aglaea Ἀγλαΐα f Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Latinized form of Aglaia.

Aglaia Ἀγλαΐα f Greek Mythology, Greek
Means "splendour, beauty" in Greek. In Greek mythology she was one of the three Graces or Χάριτες (Charites). This name was also borne by a 4th-century saint from Rome.

Aigle Αἴγλη f Greek Mythology
Greek form of Aegle.

Akantha Ἄκανθα f Greek Mythology
Greek form of Acantha.

Alcestis Ἄλκηστις f Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Latinized form of Greek Ἄλκηστις (Alkestis), derived from ἀλκηστής (alkestes) meaning "brave, valiant", a derivative of ἀλκή (alke) meaning "strength, prowess". In Greek mythology she was the wife of King Admetus. She offered to die in place of her husband, though she was eventually rescued from the underworld by Herakles. This story was told by the Greek playwright Euripides in his 5th-century BC tragedy Alcestis.

Alcippe Ἀλκίππη f Greek Mythology (Latinized)
From Greek Ἀλκίππη (Alkippe), derived from ἀλκή (alke) meaning "strength, prowess" and ἵππος (hippos) meaning "horse". This was the name of a daughter of Ares in Greek myth. Her father killed Halirrhotis, a son of Poseidon, when he attempted to rape her, leading to a murder trial in which Ares was quickly acquitted.

Alcmene Ἀλκμήνη f Greek Mythology (Latinized)
From Greek Ἀλκμήνη (Alkmene), derived from ἀλκή (alke) meaning "strength, prowess" combined with μήνη (mene) meaning "moon" or μῆνις (menis) meaning "wrath". In Greek mythology Alcmene was the wife of Amphitryon. She was the mother of Herakles by Zeus, who bedded her by disguising himself as her absent husband.

Alcyone Ἀλκυόνη f Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Latinized form of Greek Ἀλκυόνη (Alkyone), derived from the word ἀλκυών (alkyon) meaning "kingfisher". In Greek myth this name belonged to a daughter of Aeolus and the wife of Ceyx. After her husband was killed in a shipwreck she threw herself into the water, but the gods saved her and turned them both into kingfishers. This is also the name of the brightest of the Pleiades, a group of stars in the constellation Taurus, supposedly the daughters of Atlas and Pleione.

Alecto Ἀληκτώ f Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Latinized form of Greek Ἀληκτώ (Alekto), which was derived from ἄληκτος (alektos) meaning "unceasing". This was the name of one of the Furies or Ἐρινύες (Erinyes) in Greek mythology.

Alekto Ἀληκτώ f Greek Mythology
Greek form of Alecto.

Alexandra Ἀλεξάνδρα f English, German, Dutch, French, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Greek, Portuguese, Romanian, Czech, Slovak, Hungarian, Catalan, Russian, Ukrainian, Ancient Greek, Greek Mythology
Feminine form of Alexander. In Greek mythology this was a Mycenaean epithet of the goddess Hera, and an alternate name of Cassandra. It was borne by several early Christian saints, and also by the wife of Nicholas II, the last tsar of Russia. She was from Germany and had the birth name Alix, but was renamed Александра (Aleksandra) upon joining the Russian Church.

Alkestis Ἄλκηστις f Greek Mythology
Greek form of Alcestis.

Alkinoe Ἀλκινόη f Greek Mythology
Feminine form of Alkinoos. It is borne by a few minor characters in Greek mythology.

Alkippe Ἀλκίππη f Greek Mythology
Greek form of Alcippe.

Alkmene Ἀλκμήνη f Greek Mythology
Ancient Greek form of Alcmene.

Alkyone Ἀλκυόνη f Greek Mythology
Ancient Greek form of Alcyone.

Althaia Ἀλθαία f Greek Mythology
Greek form of Althea.

Althea Ἀλθαία f Greek Mythology (Latinized)
From the Greek name Ἀλθαία (Althaia), perhaps related to Greek ἄλθος (althos) meaning "healing". In Greek myth she was the mother of Meleager. Soon after her son was born she was told that he would die as soon as a piece of wood that was burning on her fire was fully consumed. She immediately extinguished the piece of wood and sealed it in a chest, but in a fit of rage many years later she took it out and set it alight, thereby killing her son.

Amalthea Ἀμάλθεια f Greek Mythology (Latinized)
From the Greek Ἀμάλθεια (Amaltheia), derived from μαλθάσσω (malthasso) meaning "to soften, to soothe". In Greek myth she was a nymph (in some sources a goat) who nursed the infant Zeus.

Amaltheia Ἀμάλθεια f Greek Mythology
Greek form of Amalthea.

Amphitrite Ἀμφιτρίτη f Greek Mythology
Possibly means "the surrounding sea" or "the surrounding third", from Greek ἀμφίς (amphis) meaning "surrounding, around, between" and the same root found in the name of Triton. In Greek mythology she was a goddess of the sea and salt water, the wife of Poseidon and the mother of Triton.

Andromache Ἀνδρομάχη f Greek Mythology
Derived from the Greek elements ἀνήρ (aner) meaning "man" (genitive ἀνδρός) and μάχη (mache) meaning "battle". In Greek legend she was the wife of the Trojan hero Hector. After the fall of Troy Neoptolemus killed her son Astyanax and took her as a concubine.

Andromeda Ἀνδρομέδα, Ἀνδρομέδη f Greek Mythology
Derived from Greek ἀνήρ (aner) meaning "man" (genitive ἀνδρός) combined with one of the related words μέδομαι (medomai) meaning "to be mindful of, to provide for, to think on" or μέδω (medo) meaning "to protect, to rule over". In Greek mythology Andromeda was an Ethiopian princess rescued from sacrifice by the hero Perseus. A constellation in the northern sky is named for her. This is also the name of a nearby galaxy, given because it resides (from our point of view) within the constellation.

Anthea Ἄνθεια f Greek Mythology (Latinized)
From the Greek Ἄνθεια (Antheia), derived from ἄνθος (anthos) meaning "flower, blossom". This was an epithet of the Greek goddess Hera.

Antheia Ἄνθεια f Greek Mythology
Greek form of Anthea.

Anticlea Ἀντίκλεια f Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Latinized form of Antikleia.

Antigone Ἀντιγόνη f Greek Mythology, Ancient Greek
Derived from Greek ἀντί (anti) meaning "against, compared to, like" and γονή (gone) meaning "birth, offspring". In Greek legend Antigone was the daughter of Oedipus and Jocasta. King Creon of Thebes declared that her slain brother Polynices was to remain unburied, a great dishonour. She disobeyed and gave him a proper burial, and for this she was sealed alive in a cave.

Antikleia Ἀντίκλεια f Greek Mythology, Ancient Greek
Feminine form of Antikles. In Greek mythology this is the mother of Odysseus.

Antiope Ἀντιόπη f Greek Mythology
Derived from the Greek elements ἀντί (anti) meaning "against, compared to, like" and ὄψ (ops) meaning "voice". This was the name of several figures in Greek mythology, including a daughter of Ares who was one of the queens of the Amazons. She was kidnapped and married by Theseus.

Aoede Ἀοιδή f Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Latinized form of Aoide.

Aoide Ἀοιδή f Greek Mythology
Means "song" in Greek. In Greek mythology she was one of the original three muses, the muse of song.

Aphrodite Ἀφροδίτη f Greek Mythology
Meaning unknown, possibly of Phoenician origin. Aphrodite was the Greek goddess of love and beauty, identified with the Roman goddess Venus. She was the wife of Hephaestus and the mother of Eros, and she was often associated with the myrtle tree and doves. The Greeks connected her name with ἀφρός (aphros) meaning "foam", resulting in the story that she was born from the foam of the sea. Many of her characteristics are based on the goddess known as Ashtoreth to the Phoenicians and Ishtar to the Mesopotamian Semitic peoples, and on the Sumerian goddess Inanna.

Arachne Ἀράχνη f Greek Mythology
Means "spider" in Greek. In Greek myth Arachne was a mortal woman who defeated Athena in a weaving contest. After this Arachne hanged herself, but Athena brought her back to life in the form of a spider.

Arete Ἀρετή f Greek Mythology, Ancient Greek
Means "virtue" in Greek. In Greek mythology Arete was the personification of virtue and excellence.

Arethousa Ἀρέθουσα f Greek Mythology
Greek form of Arethusa.

Arethusa Ἀρέθουσα f Greek Mythology (Latinized)
From Greek Ἀρέθουσα (Arethousa) meaning "quick water", which is possibly derived from ἄρδω (ardo) meaning "water" and θοός (thoos) meaning "quick, nimble". This was the name of a nymph in Greek mythology who was transformed into a fountain.

Ariadne Ἀριάδνη f Greek Mythology
Means "most holy", composed of the Greek prefix ἀρι (ari) meaning "most" combined with Cretan Greek ἀδνός (adnos) meaning "holy". In Greek mythology, Ariadne was the daughter of King Minos. She fell in love with Theseus and helped him to escape the Labyrinth and the Minotaur, but was later abandoned by him. Eventually she married the god Dionysus.

Arke 1 Ἄρκη f Greek Mythology
From Greek ἀρκής (arkes) meaning "swift". Arke was the twin sister of the rainbow goddess Iris in Greek mythology. Because she sided with the Titans, Zeus had her imprisoned with them in Tartarus.

Artemis Ἄρτεμις f Greek Mythology, Greek
Meaning unknown, possibly related either to Greek ἀρτεμής (artemes) meaning "safe" or ἄρταμος (artamos) meaning "a butcher". Artemis was the Greek goddess of the moon and hunting, the twin of Apollo and the daughter of Zeus and Leto. She was known as Diana to the Romans.

Asteria Ἀστερία f Greek Mythology
Feminine form of Asterios (see Asterius). In Greek mythology Asteria was a daughter of the Titans Phoebe and Coeus.

Asterope Ἀστεροπή f Greek Mythology
Means "lightning, flash of light" in Greek. This is the name of several characters from Greek mythology, including a naiad who died fleeing Aesacus.

Astraea Ἀστραία f Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Latinized form of the Greek Ἀστραία (Astraia), derived from Greek ἀστήρ (aster) meaning "star". Astraea was a Greek goddess of justice and innocence. After wickedness took root in the world she left the earth and became the constellation Virgo.

Astraia Ἀστραία f Greek Mythology
Greek form of Astraea.

Astrape Ἀστραπή f Greek Mythology
Means "lightning" in Greek. This was the name of a Greek goddess of lightning, an attendant of Zeus.

Atalanta Ἀταλάντη f Greek Mythology (Latinized)
From the Greek Ἀταλάντη (Atalante) meaning "equal in weight", derived from ἀτάλαντος (atalantos), a word related to τάλαντον (talanton) meaning "a scale, a balance". In Greek legend she was a fast-footed maiden who refused to marry anyone who could not beat her in a race. She was eventually defeated by Hippomenes, who dropped three golden apples during the race causing her to stop to pick them up.

Athena Ἀθηνᾶ f Greek Mythology, English
Meaning unknown. Athena was the Greek goddess of wisdom and warfare and the patron goddess of the city of Athens in Greece. It is likely that her name is derived from that of the city, not vice versa. The earliest mention of her seems to be a 15th-century BC Mycenaean Greek inscription from Knossos on Crete.... [more]

Athene Ἀθήνη f Greek Mythology
Variant of Athena.

Atropos Ἄτροπος f Greek Mythology
Means "inevitable, inflexible" in Greek, derived from the negative prefix ἀ (a) combined with τρόπος (tropos) meaning "direction, manner, fashion". Atropos was one of the three Fates or Μοῖραι (Moirai) in Greek mythology. When her sister Lachesis decided that a person's life was at an end, Atropos would choose the manner of death and cut the person's life thread.