Names Categorized "epithets"

Adrasteia 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.

Alastor m Greek Mythology
Means "avenger" in Greek. This was an epithet of Zeus, as well as the name of several other characters from Greek mythology.

Alexandra 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.

Anahita f Persian, Persian Mythology
Means "immaculate, undefiled" in Old Persian, from the Old Iranian prefix *an- "not" combined with *āhita "unclean, dirty". This was the name of an Iranian goddess of fertility and water. In the Zoroastrian religious texts the Avesta she is called 𐬀𐬭𐬆𐬛𐬎𐬎𐬍 (Arəduuī) in Avestan, with 𐬀𐬥𐬁𐬵𐬌𐬙𐬀 (anāhita) appearing only as a descriptive epithet. In origin she is possibly identical to the Indian goddess Saraswati. She has historically been identified with the Semitic goddess Ishtar and the Greek goddess Artemis.

Ananta m Hinduism, Odia, Bengali
Means "infinite, endless" in Sanskrit. This is an epithet of the Hindu god Vishnu.

Anthea 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.

Chanda f & m Hinduism, Hindi
Means "fierce, hot, passionate" in Sanskrit. This is a transcription of both the feminine form चण्डा (an epithet of the Hindu goddess Durga) and the masculine form चण्ड (the name of a demon).

Chandrashekhar m Hindi, Marathi, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Odia
Means "crown of the moon", derived from Sanskrit चन्द्र (candra) meaning "moon" and शेखर (śekhara) meaning "crest, peak, crown". This is an epithet of the Hindu god Shiva.

Chloe f English, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek, Ancient Greek, Greek Mythology
Means "green shoot" in Greek, referring to new plant growth in the spring. This was an epithet of the Greek goddess Demeter. The name is also mentioned by Paul in one of his epistles in the New Testament.... [more]

Chthonia f Greek Mythology
Means "of the earth, underground" in Greek, a derivative of χθών (chthon) meaning "earth, ground, soil". This was an epithet of the Greek goddess Demeter.

Cynthia f English, French, Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Latinized form of Greek Κυνθία (Kynthia), which means "woman from Cynthus". This was an epithet of the Greek moon goddess Artemis, given because Cynthus was the mountain on Delos on which she and her twin brother Apollo were born. It was not used as a given name until the Renaissance, and it did not become common in the English-speaking world until the 19th century. It reached a peak of popularity in the United States in 1957 and has declined steadily since then.

Cytherea f Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Latinized form of Κυθέρεια (Kythereia) meaning "woman from Cythera". This was an epithet of Aphrodite, given because she was born on the island of Cythera (according to some Greek legends).

Delia 1 f English, Italian, Spanish, Romanian, Greek Mythology
Means "of Delos" in Greek. This was an epithet of the Greek goddess Artemis, given because she and her twin brother Apollo were born on the island of Delos. The name appeared in several poems of the 16th and 17th centuries, and it has occasionally been used as a given name since that time.

Govinda m Hinduism, Marathi, Malayalam, Kannada
Means "cow finder", derived from Sanskrit गो (go) meaning "cow" combined with विन्द (vinda) meaning "finding". This is an epithet of the Hindu god Vishnu or his avatar Krishna.

Hari m Hinduism, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Nepali
Means "brown, yellow, tawny" in Sanskrit, and by extension "monkey, horse, lion". This is another name of the Hindu god Vishnu, and sometimes of his avatar Krishna. In this context it is sometimes considered a derivative of Sanskrit हृ (hṛ) meaning "to take away", referring to the removal of sins.

Idalia f Germanic (Latinized), Greek Mythology, Polish (Rare)
Probably from a Germanic name derived from the element idal, an extended form of id possibly meaning "work, labour". Unrelated, this was also an epithet of the Greek goddess Aphrodite, given because the city of Idalion on Cyprus was a center of her cult.... [more]

Isha f & m Hindi, Marathi, Hinduism
Means "master, lord, ruler" in Sanskrit. This is a transcription of both the feminine form ईशा and the masculine form ईश (an epithet of the Hindu god Shiva). It is also the name of one of the Upanishads, which are parts of Hindu scripture.

Jaya f & m Hinduism, Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, Marathi
Derived from Sanskrit जय (jaya) meaning "victory". In Sanskrit this is a transcription of both the feminine form जया (long final vowel) and the masculine form जय (short final vowel), both of which are used as names or epithets for several characters in Hindu texts. As a modern personal name, this transcription is both feminine and masculine in southern India, but typically only feminine in the north.

Kumara m Hinduism
Derived from Sanskrit कुमार (kumāra) meaning "boy, son". In Hindu texts this is an epithet of both the fire god Agni and the war god Skanda.

Kythereia f Greek Mythology
Greek form of Cytherea.

Luna f Roman Mythology, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, English
Means "the moon" in Latin (as well as Italian, Spanish and other Romance languages). Luna was the Roman goddess of the moon, frequently depicted driving a white chariot through the sky.

Madhava m Hinduism, Sanskrit
Means "sweet, vernal, of the springtime" in Sanskrit, a derivative of मधु (madhu) meaning "honey, sweet". This was the name of a 14th-century Indian scholar from Sangamagrama. This is also an epithet of the Hindu deity Krishna, given because he was a descendant of a Yadava king named Madhu.

Melissa f English, Dutch, Ancient Greek, Greek Mythology
Means "bee" in Greek. In Greek mythology this was the name of a daughter of Procles, as well as an epithet of various Greek nymphs and priestesses. According to the early Christian writer Lactantius this was the name of the sister of the nymph Amalthea, with whom she cared for the young Zeus. Later it appears in Ludovico Ariosto's 1532 poem Orlando Furioso belonging to the fairy who helps Ruggiero escape from the witch Alcina. As an English given name, Melissa has been used since the 18th century.

Mohana m & f Hinduism
Means "bewitching, infatuating, charming" in Sanskrit. This is a transcription of both the masculine form मोहन (an epithet of the Hindu gods Shiva and Krishna) and the feminine form मोहना (spelled with a long final vowel).

Nikephoros m & f Ancient Greek, Greek Mythology
Means "carrying victory" from Greek νίκη (nike) meaning "victory" and φέρω (phero) meaning "to carry, to bear". This name was borne by several Byzantine emperors, including the 10th-century Nikephoros II Phokas. Besides being a masculine personal name, it was also a title borne by the goddess Athena.

Nitya f & m Hinduism, Hindi
Means "always, eternal" in Sanskrit. This is a transcription of both the feminine form नित्या (an epithet of the Hindu goddess Durga) and the masculine form नित्य.

Onuphrius m Egyptian Mythology (Latinized), Late Roman
Latinized form of Greek Ὀνούφριος (Onouphrios), derived from Egyptian wnn-nfr meaning "he who is good, he who is happy". This was an epithet of the god Osiris. It was later used by an Egyptian saint and hermit from the 4th or 5th century.

Pallas 1 f Greek Mythology
Probably derived from a Greek word meaning "maiden, young woman". This was an epithet of the Greek goddess Athena. According to some legends it was originally the name of a friend of the goddess. Athena accidentally killed her while sparring, so she took the name in honour of her friend.

Phoebe f English, Greek Mythology (Latinized), Biblical, Biblical Latin
Latinized form of the Greek name Φοίβη (Phoibe), which meant "bright, pure" from Greek φοῖβος (phoibos). In Greek mythology Phoibe was a Titan associated with the moon. This was also an epithet of her granddaughter, the moon goddess Artemis. The name appears in Paul's epistle to the Romans in the New Testament, where it belongs to a female minister in the church at Cenchreae.... [more]

Phoebus m Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Latinized form of the Greek name Φοῖβος (Phoibos), which meant "bright, pure". This was an epithet of the Greek god Apollo.

Phoibos m Greek Mythology, Ancient Greek
Greek form of Phoebus.

Prabhu m Hinduism, Tamil, Kannada
Means "mighty, powerful, master" in Sanskrit. In the Rigveda this is an epithet of both the Hindu gods Surya and Agni.

Praxis f Greek Mythology
Means "action, sex" in Greek. This was another name for the Greek goddess Aphrodite.

Pythios m Greek Mythology
From the Greek place name Πυθώ (Pytho), an older name of the city of Delphi, which was probably derived from Greek πύθω (pytho) meaning "to rot". This was an epithet of Apollo.

Raiden m Japanese Mythology
From Japanese 雷 (rai) meaning "thunder" and 電 (den) meaning "lightning". This is a regional epithet of the Japanese god Raijin.

Ramakanta m Hinduism, Odia
Means "desired of Lakshmi", from Rama 2 (a name of Lakshmi) combined with Sanskrit कान्त (kānta) meaning "desired, beloved". This name refers to Lakshmi's husband Vishnu.

Ramana m Hinduism, Telugu, Tamil
Derived from Sanskrit रमण (ramaṇa) meaning "pleasing, delightful". This is an epithet of the Hindu love god Kama or the solar charioteer Aruna.

Shivani f Hinduism, Hindi
Means "wife of Shiva 1" in Sanskrit. This is an epithet of the Hindu goddess Parvati.

Soterios m Ancient Greek
Derived from Greek σωτήρ (soter) meaning "saviour, deliverer", an epithet of Zeus.

Tychon m Greek Mythology, Ancient Greek
From Greek τύχη (tyche) meaning "chance, luck, fortune", a derivative of τυγχάνω (tynchano) meaning "hit the mark, succeed". This was the name of a minor deity associated with Priapus in Greek mythology. It was also borne by a 5th-century saint from Cyprus.

Vanadís f Norse Mythology
Means "goddess of the Vanir" in Old Norse. This was an epithet of the Norse goddess Freya, given because she was a member of the Vanir (as opposed to the Æsir).

Vasu m Hinduism, Kannada, Malayalam, Telugu, Tamil, Hindi
Means "excellent, good, wealthy, bright" in Sanskrit. This is a name for the Hindu gods, in particular the eight elemental deities who are attendants of Indra. It is also borne by several other characters in Hindu legend.

Vijaya m & f Hinduism, Telugu, Kannada, Tamil, Malayalam, Marathi, Hindi
Means "victory" in Sanskrit. This is a transcription of both the masculine form विजय and the feminine form विजया, both of which occur as names or epithets in Hindu scripture. This was also the name of a semi-legendary 6th-century BC king of Sri Lanka.... [more]