God Names from Myth and Legend

The meaning of this ancient Roman god's name relates to transitions, hence its connection to the name of the first month of the new year, a time of fresh beginnings. Janus is usually depicted as a two-faced god facing in opposite directions, since he looks both to the future and the past. It's no surprise then, that Janus is one of the premiere January baby names. The Slavic form Janusz is more commonly used than the English, represented by the Polish cinematographer Janusz Kaminski, who has shot all of Steven Spielberg's films from Schindler's List to Lincoln.

Ara is a unique boys' name that one of the most melodious in the Armenian name pool, familiarized by Notre Dame football coach Ara Parseghian. In Armenian mythology, Ara was a king so handsome that a rival queen went to war in order to make him her own. The name Ara is also known in the Arabic and Hebrew cultures.

Pan is the Greek god with the legs of a goat and the body of a pipes-playing man known for his mischievousness. Pan is also the god of shepherds, pastures, and fertility. Pan is also a Hindi name meaning leaf or feather.

In ancient Greece, Aither was one of the primordial deities. Aither is the personification of the upper air. He embodies the pure upper air that the gods breathe, as opposed to the normal air breathed by mortals. His name may be the origin of the word ether. He was said to be the source of the Gods' power.

The story of King Midas's Midas touch is a common cautionary tale, as he wished for everything he touched to turn to gold, only to regret it later. The associations with greed likely turn parents off of the name, but it combines two popular trends of mythological names and names that mean wealth. The nickname Mighty is a bonus.

The name of the Greek mythological hero famous for slaying the Minotaur is also heard in Chaucer and Shakespeare. While Theseus might have sounded pretentious for an American baby a decade ago, today with so many babies getting ancient mythogical names, it just might work.

In Maori mythology Tāne (also called Tāne Mahuta) was the god of forests and birds, son of the sky god Rangi and the earth goddess Papa. Tāne was the one who pushed his powerful parents apart to create the land and sky.

Biblical Hebrew form of Caleb, which means "dog", or possibly "whole heart". Kalev is also the Estonian form of the Finnish name Kaleva, from an ancient demonym of unknown derivation.

This authentic form of the name of an Irish mythological hero with the power to make women fall instantly in love with him would work far better here as the Anglicized Dermot.

Lir is the Irish god of the sea, the equivalent of the Welsh Llyr which some equate with Shakespeare's King Lear. This is one of those rare names that is simple and has a deep history with an appealing meeting and yet is completely unused in the modern world -- no baby boys were recorded as receiving the name Lir in the US last year. Maybe because it sounds like the unappealing leer?

Hippolyte is the name of an Amazonian princess AND her son, both unfortunate mythical figures. The name Hippolyte, later borne by several saints, is a not an uncommon boys' name in France, but has barely set foot on American soil and is unlikely to do so. It was the middle name of famed French playwright Jean Giraudoux.

The name of the ferrymen of dead souls to the Greek underworld and the name of Pluto's desolate moon, Charon makes an interesting, if somewhat macabre, choice for a baby. There are two pronunciations of this name, depending on whether you're referring to the ferryman or the moon. While the Greek version is pronounced with a hard "k" sound, the astronomer who named the moon did not know about the Greek myth - he named the moon after his wife Charlene, so many astronomers pronounce it with a "sh" sound.

The name of the father of the sea nymphs -- or one of its shorter forms such as Nereo or Nerio -- would be somewhat easier for a child to carry than Neptune. The name Nereus is largely forgotten but it certainly can rise again along with Atticus and Cassius and other ancient Greek brethren.

Idiosyncratic Icelandic singer Bjork chose this name from Norse mythology for her son. It's also an Indian place name.

A Titan in Greek mythology, would not work in the modern world.

The Greek god Triton was the messenger of the sea and the son of sea god Neptune. He is usually represented as a merman, the the head and upper body of a human and the lower body of a sea creature. In The Little Mermaid he is the father of Ariel.

In ancient myth, Ashur was the supreme deity of the Assyrian Empire, the ruler of the gods, the god of war, and the creator of all things.

Oceanus was the Titan in ancient Greek mythology who rules what they thought was the body of water that surrounded the Earth. Oceanus was, appropriately enough, the name of the baby born on the Mayflower. Modern variations include Ocean, Oceana, and Oceane, a popular French name for girls.

Kiwa, one of the most popular Maori names for boys in New Zealand, is the name of several ocean guardians in Maori mythology. It's part of a poetic name for the Pacific ocean.

More substantial than it sounds: Shango was the god of thunder and legendary ancestor of the Yoruba people of Nigeria.