Greek Names (with Meanings & Popularity)

Lexis

Greek, diminutive of Alexis

Lexis is a condensation of Alexis, or the expression of a wish to drive a Lexus. Go with the longer form.

Hillary

Latin from Greek

"happy, cheerful"

Hillary is a lovely name that, for the moment at least, is tightly bound to an individual with a strong image: Hillary Clinton. Whatever your feelings about Mrs. Clinton, her fame now dominates the…

Hyacinth

Flower name, from Greek

"blue larkspur; precious stone"

Though it may not be as sweet and gentle as, say, Violet, the purple-hued Hyacinth still might hold some appeal for the parent seeking a truly unusual flower name. In Greek mythology, Hyacinthus was…

Hyacynthe

Hyacynthe is a rare feminine name derived from the Greek Hyakinthos, referring to the hyacinth flower and the mythological figure Hyacinthus, a beautiful youth beloved by Apollo. The traditional…

Hyacinthe

Hyacinthe is a feminine name with Greek origins, derived from the name of the purple-blue flower called hyacinth. In Greek mythology, Hyacinthus was a beautiful youth beloved by Apollo. The feminine…

Ianthe

Greek

"purple flower"

Like Violet, Lavender and Lilac, Ianthe is a purple flower name. Chosen by the poet Shelley for his daughter, Ianthe has a poetic, romantic, almost ethereal quality. In the ancient myth, she was the…

Euphemia

Greek

"fair speech"

Ancient martyr's name that, though not especially appealing, might still be mildly possible, especially for Anglophiles. It was widely used in early Scotland, but was overtaken by its nickname, Effie.

Effie

English diminutive of Euphemia, Greek

"pleasant speech"

Effie is the old-fashioned short form for Euphemia. It shares a vintage charm with Hattie and Letty although is much rarer than either. Effie is a character in The Hunger Games and Sisterhood of the…

Echo

Greek mythology name

"echo or sound"

Echo, the pretty, resonant name of a legendary nymph, was the heroine of Joss Whedon's sci-fi series Dollhouse . Nick Hexum, of the band 311, named his daughter Echo Love. In the Greek myth, Echo was…

Dree

Diminutive of Andrea, feminine form of Andrew

"strong and manly"

This unique one-syllable name was added to the mix by Mariel Hemingway for her now grown model/actress daughter; it could make a distinctive middle name or Bree substitute.

Io

Greek mythology name

Io may be one of the slightest names in the book, but there aren't many two-letter names with as much substance as this Greek mythological example. Io, a name used for the largest moon of Jupiter,…

Ioanna

Greek variation of Joanna

Ioanna may be an original spin on the Joanna family, but American tongues may have trouble wrapping themselves around all its vowels. Ioanna is pronounced ee-oh-ah-nah.

Bryonia

Bryonia is a distinctive feminine name derived from the scientific name for a genus of climbing plants commonly known as bryony. The name has Greek origins, as 'bryon' referred to moss or plants in…

Iolanthe

Greek

"violet flower"

Iolanthe is known primarily through the 1882 Gilbert & Sullivan operetta of that name, in which the title character is a fairy. Iolanthe is a softer version of Yolanda, and is the kind of…

Yolanda

Spanish from Greek

"violet flower"

Bold and distinctive, Yolanda is a floral name that doesn't sound frilly or delicate. Ultimately deriving from the Greek words ioles meaning "violet" and anthos meaning "flower", it appears in a…

Iolanda

Italian; Portuguese, Romanian, from Greek

"violet flower"

An alternate spelling of Yolanda, used in some of the Romance languages.

Iolande

Iolande is a feminine name with medieval European heritage, representing a variant of Yolanda or Iolanthe. Derived from the Greek elements 'ion' (violet flower) and 'anthos' (flower), it literally…

Ione

Greek

"violet flower"

This unusual Greek flower and color name has gained considerable recent attention via actress Ione Skye, who is the daughter of sixties folksinger Donovan. Ione was one of the fifty sea nymphs —…

Natasa

Natasa is a feminine name with Slavic origins, primarily used in Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, and other Balkan countries. It is a variant of Natasha, which itself is a diminutive form of the Russian…

Dorothea

Greek

"gift of God"

Dorothea is a romantic Victorian-sounding name that blends elegance, gravitas and a hint of clunkiness too. Popular in the early decades of the twentieth century, it has been off the charts since…