Ulysses

Latin variation of Odysseus, Greek

"wrathful"

Ulysses Origin and Meaning

The name Ulysses is a boy's name of Latin origin meaning "wrathful".

Ulysses is one of the few U boys' names anyone knows -- with heavy links to the Homeric hero, eighteenth president Grant, and the James Joyce novel -- all of which makes it both distinguished and kind of weighty for a modern boy. Ulysses was on the US popularity list well into the twenty-first century; it's off now, but Number 684 on Nameberry.

Former SNLer Anna Gasteyer made this bold choice for her son, perhaps inspiring others to follow her lead. George Clooney's character name in the Coen brothers' O Brother, Where Art Thou? is Ulysses.

Trivia tidbit: The presidential bearer was christened Hiram Ulysses Grant, but reputedly was all too happy when his first two names were reversed at West Point, as he had always been embarrassed by having the initials HUG.

Ulysses Rank in US Top 1000

# 980 in the US

Ulysses Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

# 581 on Nameberry

Popularity of the name Ulysses

• 581 Nameberry 2025
• 191 Unique 2023

20 Names Similar to Ulysses

These 20 names were selected by our users that were looking for other names like Ulysses.

• Thaddaeus
• Virgil
• Albus
• Wolfgang
• Pascal
• Balthazar
• Cornelius
• Horatio
• Mordecai
• Constantine
• Florence
• Mortimer
• Sylvester
• Valentine
• Enoch
• Cecil
• Romulus
• Percival
• Latrell
• Cyril

Famous People Named Ulysses

• (Hiram) Ulysses (Simpson) Grant 18th US president and Civil War general
• Ulysses Simpson Grant III U.S. Major General; grandson of the President
• Ulysses Simpson Grant Sharp Jr. U.S. Navy admiral
• Ulysses Gomez Mexican,American mixed martial artist
• Ulysses "Crazy Legs" Curtis American CFL football player
• Ulysses Davis American silent film director
• Ulysses Sigel Webb American politician from California
• Ulysses Guimarães Brazilian politician and lawyer who played an important role in opposing the military dictatorship in Brazil and in the fight to restore democracy in the country

The name Ulysses in Pop Culture

• Ulysses Roman name for Odysseus, Greek hero of the Iliad and the Odyssey
• "Ulysses " novel by James Joyce
• Ulysses Grecian commander in Shakespeare's play "Troilus and Cressida"
• Ulysses squirrel in "Flora & Ulysses" by Kate DiCamillo
• Ulysses character in video game "Fallout: New Vegas , Lonesome Road"
• Ulysses Klaue aka Klaw character in Marvel Comics
• Ronald Ulysses Swanson character on TV's "Parks and Recreation"
• Percival Ulysses "Perry" Cox character on TV's "Scrubs"
• "Ulysses " song by the band Franz Ferdinand

International Variations of the name Ulysses

• Ulises Spanish
• Ulysse French
• Ulisse Italian
• Ulesi Hawaiian
• Uleki Hawaiian
• Ulisses French