Athena

Athena is distinctive, and like Sophia, it places importance on intelligence - an uncommon feature in feminine names. Her Roman equivalent, Minerva (Minnie for short?) is an alternative. Tina Fey's daughter is named Penelope Athena - I think that's a beautiful combination.

Like it mentions in the Bible "a good name is far more valuable than rubies." And I agree Athena has been an exotic name for me and at first when I was a kid I hated it because it was so different but when I was about five or six and I was old enough to tell people my name I would get compliments on it like crazy, always told that it was a beautiful name, even when I felt ugly at times it really built me up and being almost 40 I have received at least 10,000 compliments on my name. I will name my daughter Athena so she has the same experience and I also believe being named after the goddess of wisdom makes you want to live up to that name and to gather knowledge and turn it into wisdom. As far as war goes I do have a bad temper. It's been a conversation starter and opening.

Such a blessed, gorgeous, beautiful name.

When I was a lot younger, perhaps around 12 or 13, I used to dislike my name. I mean, isn't it strange to be named after a well-known goddess? Well, I thought so, until about a year or two ago. I love my name, it's so strong, yet sweet and melodic at the same time. Athena, doesn't it sound so lovely? I would surely, absolutely, recommend to name your daughter this.

Adorable!

Athena is a stunning name. Easy to spell and pronounce, and the etymology is awesome. Such a strong and powerful name. If you chose Athena for your daughter you did an excellent job.

Beautiful! I love it so much!

Stunning name. I have a classmate online, her name is Athena. When I first heard it I didn’t really like it because I wasn’t familiar with it, but now I adore it so much! If I had to name my daughter and son God/Goddess names, I’d choose Aries and Athena :)

I mean, if it wasn't a very well known goddess my chances of naming my future daughter this would be much higher.

Pretty!

THIS. NAME. IS. SOOO. PRETTY! Definitely one of my favorites.

This is a timeless name that radiates beauty!

Beautiful.

Beautiful goddess name.

It's too popular with the nerd crowd for me (stoner type) to feel comfortable loving it out loud, but secretly I really like it.

Ugh.. not a fan at all!

It’s beautiful and has a brilliant history.

Aleena is nice. Athena is actually annoying to say. Please don’t do this to a poor child. I would absolutely hate being stuck with this name!

Beautiful name.

Pretty, but I just think of the Greek goddess.

I really like this name. It's classy. I'd imagine an Athena to be intelligent.

Great name honestly, doesn't sound too girly like Lily or Emma. For little girls I'd prefer the name Thena without the beginning "A" but that's just me. It's also rising in popularity over the years.

Athena sounds cool, and the Greek goddess Athena is awesome.

I absolutely adore the English pronunciation! I prefer that one more to the original Greek pronunciation. A beautiful name indeed.

I called my daughter Athena and I really like it. And so does she, thankfully. Think it is a pretty name but a strong name too. And tons of history - the goddess, giver of Olives etc. My other daughter always asks why I didn't give her the name of a Greek goddess!

Sounds like the name of a flower. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing I guess.

I love this name. I was hesitant at first because it was the name of a pagan goddess but, I realized that there are several names that were goddesses. Diana and Iris, for example. Plus, Athena was named after the city of Athens in Greece. The only nickname would be Athy which sounds like a belittling pet name but Athena is too beautiful to shorten.

I am named Athena. Born and raised in the United States. My father is Greek and that's how I got the name. I've always received compliments for the name. When I finally had children, I named my first daughter Sophia. I wouldn't change my name ever! Unique and very uncommon! Never outdated either!

Kind of dated and over-the-top but also kinda never-gets-old and it has a nice sound to it. The only problem with it is that I can't imagine this name on someone younger than 25. 6/10.

I'm naming my child this if it's the last thing I do. End of discussion.

Not a fan. I know many dogs named Athena.

Awful name.

Hello I'm a 35 year old named Athena. Growing up in the South Bronx it was very rare. Throughout my whole life I've actually met six other Athena's believe it or not. Spanish people can't say it, and neither can Jamaicans or Arabs as they say Tina. Little kids say Tina and that's fine, I'll let them get away with that but my friends and family call me Thena without the a. I would definitely name my daughter Athena because at first I didn't like it and then I grew to like it I was bullied most of my life as a child. But no matter what at least once or twice a day I heard how beautiful my name was and it built up my confidence even though the kids tried to bring it down. My dad's in to Greek mythology hardcore. I have brothers that are twins and their names are alpha and omega. I would definitely not change my name because it has shaped my personality. I definitely find my life's purpose to be learning, talk about a woman scorned I'm ten times worse so I know that the goddess of war is inside me. Many people don't know this but it was Athena's idea for the Trojan Horse. Athena does not like to be challenged, she likes to teach people lessons and I just love our name! And I love her and yes, being shaped by my first name Athena without a middle name because my father and his father believed that when people did not like the name that was God given by their parents they would hide behind their Catholic middle name instead and my family have no middle names because we are having to face the world with only our first name and if we don't like it then that's that but I am happy to be named Athena. It has made me strive to be very smart and I am a Miss know-it-all. Also, it made me realize that I'm very strong-minded, loyal, and big-hearted but hiding it. The worst thing about having the name is when you go out for a drink. The most used pick up line is "I can see why you're named after the goddess of love" nope drunk sir, that's Aphrodite! I want to name my daughter that because in my 35 years I've been complemented, no exaggeration, at least 17, 000 times and continue to be admired. Athena is an alpha female name though feminine, it is like being called a modern warrior! Or being named Max Powers! Beat my chest.. people say my beauty is deserved of such an exotic name! I am Irish-British-Cuban-Portuguese-Jamaican and Native American.
I just hate being called Althea by the elderly. Lol. Minerva is Athena translated into English. I've heard "you're getting on mi nerv a" also in thinking about Roman gods we equate to "HELEN" goddess of the moon and tides. Now I live Upstate next to West Point Military Academy and they use Athena's shield in their emblem.

Athena is a strong and regal name. Any girl should be proud to have it. It is much more beautiful than the Roman equivalent Minerva, which sounds more like a stern old lady - or maybe that’s just my impression from Minerva McGonagall.

Athena is such a powerful, strong name! I also like the character from Ace Attorney.

I like it, it's cute.

Inspiration, bravery, law and justice is all associated with this name because of the goddess, which is perfect for me because I am an aspiring civil rights lawyer. It is such a beautiful name. My favorite name that goes with Athena is Ophelia. Athena & Ophelia, I can actually imagine using it but I am very iffy with names. But it is a very beautiful name and I can imagine a well rounded individual with the name Athena. Personally I love to associate the color blue with the name Athena, assuming because of Percy Jackson. But just a very classy choice.

Very unique, yet simple. It reminds me of the goddess. Which I love, overall a consideration long-term wise.

I'll always associate this name with a wise soul of a woman who loves owls and olives; that is, the goddess Athena. It's a beautiful name and a great choice for a child, as it doesn't sound too big or unusual like some other Greek god names can sound. Though she might get teased a bit, I still think it's a lovely name that a girl would grow proud to have.

I absolutely love the name Athena, and it really bothers me when people name their dog Athena. I was going to name my daughter that but ended up having a boy. His name is Athens Brian. I get so many compliments on his name and I fell in love with it. I hope he likes it as much as I do.

My name is indeed Athena, I pronounce it as ahh-thee-na, but some of my family do pronounce it as ahh-teh-na. I've always found my name intresting as it describes me perfectly. Uncertain, because I'm quite outgoing. Based off the Greek mythology, I do like knowledge. And learning, as it is essential. To me however, surprisingly I have a like for owls and not because of the origin of my name.

It's ok. Everybody's favorite Mary-Sue goddess name.

I named my daughter Athena 3 years ago and I have never had anyone say anything less than positive about it. The majority of people go out of their way to tell me how beautiful and unusual they think the name is and how much they like it. Personally I still love the name and it suits her perfectly:-)

I've known two different Athenas in my life, and both of them were smug, critical, I'm-so-much-smarter-than-you types. I don't know if being named after the Greek goddess of wisdom gave them some sort of complex or what the deal was, but my impression of the name Athena is pretty negative now because of them.

Athena makes me think of a really annoying and stuck up girl for some reason.

I really don't like this name. In my opinion, naming someone after such a well known Goddess just seems kind of elitist and it sounds a little cheesy to me. I much prefer the roman equivalent, Minerva.

Love this name! Used to hate it but now I'm quite fond of it. I highly prefer Athena to Minerva. :)

Beautiful name. Love it.

I love this name, it's pretty, ancient and has so much meaning behind it. If I ever had a daughter I wouldn't hesitate to call her Athena.

One of the more credible Mythology names; I think it would be easy for a person to have in real life.

I LOVE this name. Makes me sad it was on the top 1000 list last year. :(

Athena is the best of the Greek goddesses, and probably the main reason I love this name. I use the nickname "Ath" (with affection and familiarity, not disrespect!) to refer to her. If I ever did have a child, this would be near the top of the name suggestions list.

A beautiful, strong, regal name that could grow with a person. Love it.

Lovely exotic name.

I like this name. It is pretty.

My name is Athena. For anyone contemplating whether or not to name your kid this, ask an actual Athena and not random people. I've never met another person with my name, so it's rare, but it's really not exotic-sounding. It's very rarely mispronounced because it sounds right out. I was never teased. A lot of people don't know the origin, but those who do LOVE it. I joined a Facebook group for people named Athena and everyone seemed to really like their name. Fans of the Who love it especially, haha.

This is one of older sister's name and I think it's a very pretty name and you don't really don't hear it that often. My sister is now 21 and loves her name.

This is a really beautiful name. I'm not sure that I'd use it as a first name, though. Not because I wouldn't want to, just because people may consider it a bit weird. But I love the meaning as well as how it sounds. It's just so powerful.

If you wanted to name your daughter after the goddess, I think it would be better to call her Sophie Olivia, Sophie for wisdom and Olivia for the olive tree. I love the namesake but despise the actual name.

I am the total opposite; I like Athena but I absolutely HATE Sophie, and I don't like Olivia much, plus they don't go together all that well, and Olivia is more likely to be a feminine form of Oliver (meaning elf army) than a variant of Oliva anyway, and therefore doesn't directly mean olive tree.

I like the nickname "Thena". On a personal note, I might name my daughter Thena Delaney.

My grandmother is called Athene which I personally prefer over Athena. It is quite a rare name as she has only ever heard of or met three other people in her life called the same. People occasionally call her 'Ath' for short though, though I much prefer the full form.

A beautiful name! Its sound and meaning are ideal. The name is neither popular nor too girlish.

I love this name. Way prettier and less annoying than the equivalent Minerva, but that's just my humble opinion.

I love this name! I like that it has a 'wise' meaning to it. It evokes a sense of intelligence, wisdom, wit and creativity. And the pronunciation is never AT-HAY-Nah it's Ath-Ee-Na even though I like At-HAY-Na too especially for Corinna-Athena (At-Hay-Nah). Do you pronounce Athens At-HAY-Ns? I like the Spanish pronunciation to it too (AT-Heh-Nah).

This is a regal sounding name, one that has strength. Not really any nicknames for it. It isn't an overused name which is nice.

This is my niece's name - I think is one of the most beautiful names ever!

Athena is a gorgeous name. Both the meaning and sound are nice, and I really like it. I also like the fact that it is a Greek goddess's name.