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.

Acheloios Ἀχελώιος m Greek Mythology
Ancient Greek form of Achelous.

Achelous Ἀχελώιος, Ἀχελῷος m Greek Mythology (Latinized)
From Greek Ἀχελώιος (Acheloios), which is of unknown meaning, possibly of Semitic origin. This was the name of a Greek god of water and rivers, in particular the Achelous River in western Greece. He fought with (and was defeated by) Herakles for the hand of Deianeira.

Achilles Ἀχιλλεύς m Greek Mythology (Latinized), Ancient Greek (Latinized)
From the Greek Ἀχιλλεύς (Achilleus), which is of unknown meaning, perhaps derived from Greek ἄχος (achos) meaning "pain" or else from the name of the Achelous River. This was the name of a warrior in Greek legend, one of the central characters in Homer's Iliad. The bravest of the Greek heroes in the war against the Trojans, he was eventually killed by an arrow to his heel, the only vulnerable part of his body.... [more]

Achilleus Ἀχιλλεύς m Greek Mythology, Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek form of Achilles.

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.

Admetos Ἄδμητος m Greek Mythology
Greek form of Admetus.

Admetus Ἄδμητος m Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Latinized form of Greek Ἄδμητος (Admetos) meaning "unconquered, untamed", a poetic form of ἀδάμαστος (adamastos). In Greek mythology this was the name of a king of Pherae in Thessaly. He was the husband of Alcestis, who died for him.

Adonis Ἄδωνις m Greek Mythology
From Phoenician 𐤀𐤃𐤍 (ʾadon) meaning "lord, master". In Greek myth Adonis was a handsome young shepherd killed while hunting a wild boar. The anemone flower is said to have sprung from his blood. Because he was loved by Aphrodite, Zeus allowed him to be restored to life for part of each year. The Greeks borrowed this character from Semitic traditions, originally Sumerian (see Dumuzi).

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.

Adrastos Ἄδραστος m Greek Mythology
Means "not inclined to run away" in Greek, from the negative prefix ἀ (a) and διδράσκω (didrasko) meaning "to run away". This was the name of a king of Argos in Greek legend.

Aegeus Αἰγεύς m Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Latinized form of Greek Αἰγεύς (Aigeus), probably derived from Greek αἴξ (aix) meaning "goat" (genitive αἰγός). The plural of this word, αἶγες, additionally means "waves". According to Greek mythology this was the name of a king of Athens. Believing his son Theseus to have been killed by the Minotaur, he threw himself into the sea and was drowned. The sea was henceforth known as the Aegean.

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.

Aeolus Αἴολος m Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Latinized form of Aiolos.

Aesculapius Ἀσκληπιός m Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Latinized form of Asklepios.

Aeson Αἰσών m Greek Mythology (Latinized)
From the Greek Αἰσών (Aison), which is of unknown meaning. Aeson was the father of Jason in Greek mythology.

Aether Αἰθήρ m Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Latinized form of Greek Αἰθήρ (Aither) meaning "ether, heaven", derived from αἴθω (aitho) meaning "to burn, to ignite". In Greek mythology this was the name of the god of light and the upper sky.

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.

Agamemnon Ἀγαμέμνων m Greek Mythology, Greek
Possibly means "very steadfast" in Greek. In Greek mythology he was the brother of Menelaus. He led the Greek expedition to Troy to recover his brother's wife Helen. After the Trojan War Agamemnon was killed by his wife Clytemnestra.

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

Agenor Ἀγήνωρ m Greek Mythology
Derived from the poetic Greek word ἀγήνωρ (agenor) meaning "very manly, heroic", a derivative of ἄγαν (agan) "very much" and ἀνήρ (aner) "man". This is the name of multiple characters in Greek mythology, including a king of the Phoenician city of Tyre. He was a son of Poseidon and Libya and the father of Europa, Cadmus and several other children.

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.

Aias Αἴας m Greek Mythology
Greek form of Ajax.

Aigeus Αἰγεύς m Greek Mythology
Original Greek form of Aegeus.

Aigle Αἴγλη f Greek Mythology
Greek form of Aegle.

Aineias Αἰνείας m Greek Mythology
Ancient Greek form of Aeneas.

Aiolos Αἴολος m Greek Mythology
Means "quick-moving, nimble" in Greek. This was the name of the Greek god of the winds.

Aither Αἰθήρ m Greek Mythology
Greek form of Aether.

Ajax Αἴας m Greek Mythology (Latinized)
From the Greek name Αἴας (Aias), perhaps deriving from Greek αἰαστής (aiastes) meaning "mourner" or αἶα (aia) meaning "earth, land". In Greek mythology this was the name of two of the heroes who fought for the Greeks in the Trojan War: the son of Telamon and the son of Oileus. When the armour of the slain hero Achilles was not given to Ajax Telamonian, he became mad with jealousy and killed himself.

Akantha Ἄκανθα f Greek Mythology
Greek form of Acantha.

Alastor Ἀλάστωρ 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.

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.

Alcides Ἀλκείδης m Greek Mythology (Latinized), Portuguese, Spanish
Latinized form of Greek Ἀλκείδης (Alkeides), derived from ἀλκή (alke) meaning "strength, prowess" and the patronymic suffix ἴδης (ides). This was another name for the hero Herakles.

Alcinous Ἀλκίνοος m Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Latinized form of Alkinoos.

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.

Alexander Ἀλέξανδρος m English, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Hungarian, Slovak, Biblical, Ancient Greek (Latinized), Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Latinized form of the Greek name Ἀλέξανδρος (Alexandros), which meant "defending men" from Greek ἀλέξω (alexo) meaning "to defend, help" and ἀνήρ (aner) meaning "man" (genitive ἀνδρός). In Greek mythology this was another name of the hero Paris, and it also belongs to several characters in the New Testament. However, the most famous bearer was Alexander the Great, king of Macedon. In the 4th century BC he built a huge empire out of Greece, Egypt, Persia, and parts of India. Due to his fame, and later medieval tales involving him, use of his name spread throughout Europe.... [more]

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.

Alexandros Ἀλέξανδρος m Greek, Ancient Greek, Biblical Greek, Greek Mythology
Greek form of Alexander.

Alkeides Ἀλκείδης m Greek Mythology
Greek form of Alcides.

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.

Alkinoos Ἀλκίνοος m Greek Mythology
Means "strong mind", derived from Greek ἀλκή (alke) "strength, prowess" and νόος (noos) "mind, thought". According to Greek mythology this was the name of a king of the Phaeacians.

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.

Apollo Ἀπόλλων m Greek Mythology (Latinized)
From Greek Ἀπόλλων (Apollon), which is of unknown meaning, though perhaps related to the Indo-European root *apelo- meaning "strength". Another theory states that Apollo can be equated with Appaliunas, an Anatolian god whose name possibly means "father lion" or "father light". The Greeks later associated Apollo's name with the Greek verb ἀπόλλυμι (apollymi) meaning "to destroy". In Greek mythology Apollo was the son of Zeus and Leto and the twin of Artemis. He was the god of prophecy, medicine, music, art, law, beauty, and wisdom. Later he also became the god of the sun and light.

Apollon Ἀπόλλων m Greek Mythology, Greek
Greek form of Apollo.

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.

Ares Ἄρης m Greek Mythology
Perhaps from either Greek ἀρή (are) meaning "bane, ruin" or ἄρσην (arsen) meaning "male". The name first appears as a-re in Mycenaean Greek writing. Ares was the bloodthirsty god of war in Greek mythology, a son of Zeus and Hera.

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.

Argos Ἄργος m Greek Mythology
Greek form of Argus.

Argus Ἄργος m Greek Mythology (Latinized)
From the Greek Ἄργος (Argos), derived from ἀργός (argos) meaning "glistening, shining". This name was borne by several characters from Greek myth, including the man who built the Argo and a giant with one hundred eyes.

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.

Aristaeus Ἀρισταῖος m Greek Mythology (Latinized)
From the Greek name Ἀρισταῖος (Aristaios), derived from ἄριστος (aristos) meaning "best". This was the name of a minor Greek god of agriculture, hunting and cattle. He was the son of Apollo and the mortal Cyrene.

Aristaios Ἀρισταῖος m Greek Mythology
Greek form of Aristaeus.

Aristodemos Ἀριστόδημος m Ancient Greek, Greek Mythology
Derived from the Greek elements ἄριστος (aristos) meaning "best" and δῆμος (demos) meaning "the people". This was the name of a descendant of Herakles in Greek legend.

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.

Asclepius Ἀσκληπιός m Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Latinized form of Asklepios.

Askanios Ἀσκάνιος m Greek Mythology
Greek form of Ascanius.

Asklepios Ἀσκληπιός m Greek Mythology
Meaning unknown. Asklepios (Aesculapius to the Romans) was the god of healing and medicine in Greek mythology. He was the son of Apollo and Coronis.

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

Asterion Ἀστερίων m Greek Mythology
Means "of the stars", derived from Greek ἀστήρ (aster) "star". This is the name of several figures in Greek mythology, including a river god.

Asterios Ἀστέριος m Ancient Greek, Greek Mythology, Greek
Greek form of Asterius.

Asterius Ἀστέριος m Ancient Greek (Latinized), Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Latinized form of Greek Ἀστέριος (Asterios) meaning "starry", a derivative of ἀστήρ (aster) meaning "star". This is the name of several figures from Greek mythology. It was also borne by a few early saints.

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.

Atlas Ἄτλας m Greek Mythology
Possibly means "enduring" from Greek τλάω (tlao) meaning "to endure". In Greek mythology he was a Titan punished by Zeus by being forced to support the heavens on his shoulders.

Atreus Ἀτρεύς m Greek Mythology
Means "fearless", derived from the Greek negative prefix ἀ (a) and τρέω (treo) meaning "to fear, to flee". In Greek mythology, Atreus was a king of Mycenae and the father of Agamemnon and Menelaus.

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.