Behind the Name: Persian Mythology Names

AHRIMANاهریمنmPersian Mythology
Modern Persian form of ANGRA MAINYU.

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

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

AMORDADامردادfPersian Mythology
Modern Persian form of AMERETAT.

AMURDADامردادfPersian Mythology
Middle Persian form of AMERETAT.

ANAHITAآناهیتاfPersian, Persian Mythology
Means "immaculate, undefiled" from Avestan a "not" and ahit "unclean". This was the name of the Persian goddess of fertility and water. She was sometimes identified with Artemis, Aphrodite and Athena.

ANAITISfPersian Mythology (Hellenized)
Greek form of ANAHITA.

ANGRA MAINYUmPersian Mythology
Means "evil spirit" in Avestan. In Persian mythology Angra Mainyu was the god of darkness, death and destruction, the enemy of Ahura Mazda.

ARASHآرشmPersian, Persian Mythology
Possibly means either "truthfulness" or "bright" in Persian. In Persian legend Arash was a Persian archer who was ordered by the Turans to shoot an arrow, the landing place of which would determine the new location of the Persian-Turan border. Arash climbed a mountain and fired his arrow with such strength that it flew for several hours and landed on the banks of the far-away Oxus River.

ASHTADاشتادfPersian Mythology
Means "justice" in Persian. This was the name of a Yazata (or angel) in Zoroastrianism.

BAHMANبهمنmPersian, Persian Mythology
Modern Persian form of Avestan Vohu Manah meaning "good mind". This was the name of a Zoroastrian god (one of the Amesha Spenta) associated with domestic animals. It is also the name of the eleventh month in the Iranian calendar.

BAHRAMبهرامmPersian, Persian Mythology
Modern Persian form of Avestan Verethragna meaning "victory over resistance". This was the name of a Zoroastrian god (one of the Amesha Spenta) associated with victory and war. This name was borne by several Sassanid emperors. It is also the Persian name for the planet Mars.

FEREYDOUNفریدونmPersian, Persian Mythology
Means "the third" in Persian. In the 11th-century Persian epic the 'Shahnameh' this is the name of a virtuous king who ruled for 500 years.

GOVADmPersian Mythology
Means "wind" in Persian. This was the name of a Yazata (or angel) associated with the wind in Zoroastrianism.

HAURVATATfPersian Mythology
Means "health, perfection, wholeness" in Avestan. This was the name of a Zoroastrian goddess (one of the Amesha Spenta) of health and water.

HORMAZDهرمزدmPersian Mythology
Persian form of AHURA MAZDA.

HVARE KHSHAETAmPersian Mythology
Ancient Avestan form of KHURSHID.

JAMجمmPersian Mythology
Persian form of Avestan Yima meaning "twin" (related to Sanskrit Yama). This was the name of a mythological king, more commonly called Jamshid.

JAMSHEDجمشیدmPersian, Tajik, Persian Mythology
Variant transcription of JAMSHID, as well as the regular Tajik form.

JAMSHEEDجمشیدmPersian, Persian Mythology
Variant transcription of JAMSHID.

JAMSHIDجمشیدmPersian, Persian Mythology
Modern Persian form of Avestan Yima Kshaeta, which meant "shining JAM". This was the name of a mythological king of Persia. He is known as either Jamshid or Jam, where Jamshid is a combination of his original name and an honourific.

KAVEHکاوهmPersian, Persian Mythology
Possibly means "royal" in Avestan. In Persian mythology Kaveh is a blacksmith who leads a rebellion against the evil ruler Zahhak.

KHORDADخردادfPersian Mythology
Modern Persian form of HAURVATAT. This is the name of the third month in the Iranian calendar.

KHURSHIDخورشیدm & fPersian, Urdu, Persian Mythology
Modern Persian form of Avestan Hvare Khshaeta meaning "shining sun". In Zoroastrianism this was the name of a Yazata (or angel) who was associated with the sun.

KSHATHRA VAIRYAmPersian Mythology
Ancient Avestan form of SHAHRIVAR.

MEHRمهرmPersian, Persian Mythology
Modern Persian form of MITHRA.

MITHRAمیتراmPersian Mythology
Derived from an Indo-Iranian root *mitra meaning "oath, alliance, friend". In Persian mythology he was a god of light and friendship, the son of the supreme god Ahura Mazda. Worship of him eventually spread outside of Persia, where it was known as Mithraism.

MITHRASmPersian Mythology (Hellenized)
Greek form of MITHRA.

MORDADمردادfPersian Mythology
Modern Persian form of AMORDAD. This is the name of the fifth month in the Iranian calendar.

NAIRYOSANGHAmPersian Mythology
Derived from Avestan nairyo "male" and sangha "word". Nairyosangha was a Zoroastrian Yazata (or angel) who served as a messenger for Ahura Mazda.

ORMAZDاورمزدmPersian Mythology
Modern Persian form of AHURA MAZDA.

RASHNرشنmPersian Mythology
Modern Persian form of Avestan Rashnu meaning "justice". In Zoroastrianism this was the name of a Yazata who judged the souls of the dead.

RASHNUmPersian Mythology
Ancient Avestan form of RASHN.

ROSTAMرستمmPersian, Persian Mythology
Meaning unknown, possibly from Avestan raodha "to grow" and takhma "strong, brave, valiant". Rostam was a warrior hero in Persian legend. The 11th-century Persian poet Firdausi recorded his tale in the 'Shahnameh'.

SAAMسامmPersian, Persian Mythology
Variant transcription of SAM (2).

SAM (2)سامmPersian, Persian Mythology
Means "dark" in Avestan. This is the name of a hero in the 11th-century Persian epic the 'Shahnameh'.

SAROSHسروشmPersian Mythology
Middle Persian form of SOROUSH.

SHAHRIVARشهریورmPersian Mythology
Modern Persian form of Avestan Kshathra Vairya meaning "desirable power". In Zoroastrianism this was the name of a god of metal and a protector of the weak. This is also the name of the sixth month of the Iranian calendar.

SIAVASHسیاوشmPersian, Persian Mythology
Means "possessing black stallions" in Avestan. This is the name of a prince in the 11th-century Persian epic the 'Shahnameh'.

SOHRABسهرابmPersian, Persian Mythology
Probably from Middle Persian swhr "red" and ab "water". In the 11th-century Persian epic the 'Shahnameh' this is the name of the son of the hero Rostam. He was tragically slain in battle by his father, who was unaware he was fighting his own son.

SOROUSHسروشmPersian Mythology, Persian
Modern Persian form of Avestan Sraosha meaning "obedience". In Zoroastrianism this was the name of a Yazata (or angel), later equated with the angel Gabriel.

SRAOSHAmPersian Mythology
Ancient Avestan form of SAROSH.

TAHMURASطهمورثmPersian Mythology
Persian form of Avestan Takhma Urupi meaning "strong body". Takhma Urupi is a hero from the Avesta who later appears in the 11th-century Persian epic the 'Shahnameh'.

TAKHMA URUPImPersian Mythology
Avestan form of TAHMURAS.

VERETHRAGNAmPersian Mythology
Ancient Avestan form of BAHRAM.

VOHU MANAHmPersian Mythology
Ancient Avestan form of BAHMAN.

YIMAmPersian Mythology
Ancient Avestan form of JAM.

YIMA KSHAETAmPersian Mythology
Ancient Avestan form of JAMSHID.

ZALزالmPersian Mythology
Means "albino" in Persian. In the 11th-century Persian epic the 'Shahnameh' this is the name of a white-haired warrior.

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