Mythology Names

ACANTHA 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 m Greek Mythology
Ancient Greek form of ACHELOUS.

ACHELOUS 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 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 m Greek Mythology, Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek form of ACHILLES.

ADAD m Semitic Mythology
Akkadian cognate of HADAD.

ADITI f Hinduism, Indian, Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Kannada
Means "boundless, entire" or "freedom, security" in Sanskrit. This is the name of an ancient Hindu goddess of the sky and fertility. According to the Vedas she is the mother of the gods.

ADITYA m Hinduism, Indian, Hindi, Marathi, Malayalam, Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, Nepali, Indonesian
Means "belonging to ADITI" in Sanskrit. This is a name for the seven (or eight) Hindu gods who are the children of Aditi. It is also another name for the sun god Surya.

ADONIS m Greek Mythology
From Phoenician adon meaning "lord". 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 f Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Latinized form of ADRASTEIA. One of Jupiter's moons bears this name.

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.

ADRASTOS m Greek Mythology
Means "not inclined to run away" in Greek. This was the name of a king of Argos in Greek legend.

ÁED m Ancient Irish, Irish Mythology
Older form of AODH.

ÁEDÁN m Ancient Irish, Irish Mythology
Older form of AODHÁN. This was the name of a 6th-century king of the Scots.

AEGLE 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 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.

AENEAS m Roman Mythology
Latin form of the Greek name Αἰνείας (Aineias), derived from Greek αἴνη (aine) meaning "praise". In Greek legend he was a son of Aphrodite and was one of the chief heroes who defended Troy from the Greeks. The Roman poet Virgil continued his story in the Aeneid, in which Aeneas travels to Italy and founds the Roman state.

AEOLUS m Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Latinized form of AIOLOS.

AESCULAPIUS m Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Latinized form of ASKLEPIOS.

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

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

AGLAEA f Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Latinized form of AGLAIA.

AGLAIA 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.

AGNI (1) m Hinduism, Indian, Hindi
Means "fire" in Sanskrit. This is the name of the ancient Hindu fire god, usually depicted as red-skinned with three legs, seven arms, and two faces.

AGRONA f Celtic Mythology
Perhaps derived from an old Celtic element agro meaning "battle, slaughter". This is possibly the name of a Brythonic goddess for whom the River Ayr in Scotland was named.

AHRIMAN m Persian Mythology
Modern Persian form of ANGRA MAINYU.

AHTI m Finnish, Finnish Mythology
Meaning unknown. This is the name of the Finnish god of the ocean, rivers and fishing.

AHURA MAZDA m Persian Mythology
Means "lord of wisdom" in Avestan. In Persian mythology Ahura Mazda was the supreme creator, and the god of light, truth, and goodness.

AIAS m Greek Mythology
Greek form of AJAX.

AIGLE f Greek Mythology
Greek form of AEGLE.

AILILL m Irish, Irish Mythology
Means "elf" in Irish. This name occurs frequently in Irish legend, borne for example by the husband of Queen Medb.

AINEIAS m Greek Mythology
Ancient Greek form of AENEAS.

AINO f Finnish, Finnish Mythology
Means "the only one" in Finnish. In the Finnish epic the Kalevala this is the name of a girl who drowns herself when she finds out she must marry the old man Väinämöinen.

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

AJAX 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 f Greek Mythology
Greek form of ACANTHA.

ALBERIC m Germanic Mythology
Variant of ALBERICH.

ALBERICH m Ancient Germanic, Germanic Mythology
Derived from the Germanic elements alf "elf" and ric "ruler, mighty". Alberich was the name of the sorcerer king of the dwarfs in Germanic mythology. He also appears in the Nibelungenlied as a dwarf who guards the treasure of the Nibelungen.

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

ALCIPPE f Greek Mythology (Latinized)
From Greek Ἀλκίππη (Alkippe), derived from ἀλκή (alke) meaning "strength" 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 f Greek Mythology (Latinized)
From Greek Ἀλκμήνη (Alkmene), derived from ἀλκή (alke) meaning "strength" 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 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, the seven stars in the constellation Taurus.

ALECTO 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 f Greek Mythology
Greek form of ALECTO.

ALEXANDER 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 f English, German, Dutch, French, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Greek, Portuguese, Romanian, Czech, Slovak, Hungarian, Catalan, Spanish, Italian, 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 czar of Russia. She was from Germany and had the birth name Alix, but was renamed Александра (Aleksandra) upon joining the Russian Church.

ALEXANDROS m Greek, Ancient Greek, Biblical Greek, Greek Mythology
Greek form of ALEXANDER.

ALF (1) m Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Norse Mythology
Derived from Old Norse alfr meaning "elf". In Norse legend this was the name of king, the suitor of a reluctant maiden named Alfhild. She avoided marrying him by disguising herself as a warrior, but when they fought she was so impressed by his strength that she changed her mind.

ALFR m Norse Mythology
Old Norse form of ALF (1).

ALKEIDES m Greek Mythology
Greek form of ALCIDES.

ALKIPPE f Greek Mythology
Greek form of ALCIPPE.

ALKMENE f Greek Mythology
Ancient Greek form of ALCMENE.

ALKYONE f Greek Mythology
Ancient Greek form of ALCYONE.

ALTHEA 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.

ALVIS m Norse Mythology, Latvian
From the Old Norse Alvíss meaning "all wise". In Norse mythology this was the name of a dwarf who was to marry Thor's daughter Thrud. Thor was not pleased with this so he tricked Alvis by asking him questions until the sun rose, at which time the dwarf was turned into stone.

ALVÍSS m Norse Mythology
Old Norse form of ALVIS.

AMALTHEA 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 f Greek Mythology
Greek form of AMALTHEA.

AMATERASU f Japanese Mythology
Means "shining over heaven", from Japanese 天 (ama) meaning "heaven, sky" and 照 (terasu) meaning "shine". This was the name of the Japanese sun goddess, the ruler of the heavens. She was born when Izanagi washed his left eye after returning from the underworld. At one time the Japanese royal family claimed descent from her.

AMEN m Egyptian Mythology (Anglicized)
Variant of AMON.

AMERETAT f Persian Mythology
Means "immortality" in Avestan. This was the name of a Zoroastrian goddess (one of the Amesha Spenta) of plants and long life.

AMIRANI m Georgian Mythology
Meaning unknown, probably of Proto-Kartvelian origin. This is the name of a hero from Georgian mythology whose story is similar to that of Prometheus from Greek mythology.

AMMON m Egyptian Mythology (Hellenized)
Greek form of Egyptian Yamanu (see AMON).

AMON m Egyptian Mythology (Anglicized)
From Ἄμμων (Ammon), the Greek form of Egyptian Ymn (reconstructed as Yamanu) meaning "the hidden one". In early Egyptian mythology he was a god of the air, creativity and fertility, who was particularly revered in Thebes. Later, during the Middle Kingdom, his attributes were combined with those of the god Ra and he was worshipped as the supreme solar deity Amon-Ra.

AMON-RA m Egyptian Mythology (Anglicized)
Combination of the names of the gods AMON and RA. During the later Middle Kingdom the attributes of these two deities were merged.

AMOR m & f Roman Mythology, Late Roman, Spanish, Portuguese
Means "love" in Latin. This was another name for the Roman god Cupid. It also means "love" in Spanish and Portuguese, and as a feminine name it can be derived directly from this vocabulary word.

AMORDAD f Persian Mythology
Modern Persian form of AMERETAT.

AMULIUS m Roman Mythology
Meaning unknown. In Roman mythology Amulius overthrew his brother Numitor, king of Alba Longa, but was eventually deposed by Numitor's grandsons Romulus and Remus.

AMUN m Egyptian Mythology (Anglicized)
Variant of AMON.

AMURDAD f Persian Mythology
Middle Persian form of AMERETAT.

AN (2) m Sumerian Mythology
Means "heaven, sky" in Sumerian. An was the supreme Sumerian god of the heavens, the father of Enlil and Enki. His cuneiform sign