Greek Names

This rarely used New Testament name could make an unusual route to the cool nickname Nico. Borne by the person who helps to entomb Jesus following his crucifixion, it has the powerful meaning of "victory of the people" and is the Latinized form of the Ancient Greek Nikodemos. 
 
A literary choice, it is given to the character Nicodemus (Noddy) Boffin in the Dickens novel Our Mutual Friend, while in the real-world, it is chosen for a small but substantial number of boys in the US each year, with 35 born in a recent count. 
 
The English pronunciation is nik-uh-DEE-muhs, while in Latin it would be nee-ko-DEH-moos. Nikodem is the more popular Polish form, also heard in the UK and in the Netherlands.

Nicodemus

Melodic, rhythmic, and poetic in sound, Calypso is a name with connections to music, mythology, space, and pop culture. A distinctive was to nickname Callie or even Pip, it has that charming -o ending of Cleo, Margot, Juno, and Willow. 
 
 Likely derived from the Greek kalypto, meaning "to conceal, hide", Calypso was the name of an island nymph and a daughter of Atlas in Greek mythology. She fell in love with Odysseus after her was shipwrecked on her island, and she delayed him from returning home, by detaining him for seven years.
 
It is also a genre of Trinidadian music, inspired by West African Kaiso, and characterized by rhythmic and harmonic vocals. Calypso was popularized in the States by Harry Belafonte owing to his1956 album of the same name.
 
The name of one of Saturn's moons, of Jacques-Yves Cousteau's research ships, and of characters in Pirates of the Caribbean and Bluey, it makes a dramatic yet approachable choice.
 
Appearing in the 2026 movie The Odyssey, it may well see increased usage, with nearly 60 girls already given the name in 2025: the highest number of Calypsos born in a single year in the States.

Calypso

The name of the brave, resourceful hero of Homer's epic saga, Odysseus is associated with hatching the Trojan Horse plot, and with his long and challenging journey home to his kingdom. Possibly meaning "to hate" or "wrathful", the exact etymology is unknown, with some scholars suggesting it was drawn from a non-Greek source.
 
The wrathful meaning, however, likely comes from Homer's Odyssey, in which Odysseus's grandfather names him to reflect his own feelings towards life. 
 
A weighty choice that may once have been dismissed as too out there, Odysseus has, nevertheless been appearing in the US stats since the late 1990s. Given to 44 boys in a recent year, Odysseus is arguably not too dissimilar to Ulysses, Atticus, Ozias, Augustus, and Thaddeus.
 
Plus, with mythological names in vogue and the 2026 movie The Odyssey making it far more familiar, perhaps coming years will see Odysseus climb higher. 
 
Nicknames could be Odie or Ozzy.

Odysseus

A floral and celestial choice, Aster is the name of a daisy-like flower, with a star like shape. Derived from the Greek word for "star", Aster entered the Belgian Top 200 in 2021 for boys inn 2021.
 
In the US, Aster has been used quietly and sporadically for girls and boys since at least 1912, however, it began to climb for girls in the 2010s. A more recent year saw it leaning more neutral again, given to 57 girls and 43 boys, perhaps owing to its similarity to Asher, Aspen, Adler, Atlas, and Alistair, as well as to Astrid, Juniper, and Astoria.
 
Actress Bonnie Wright and her husband Andrew Lococo named their son Aster Sky in 2026.

Aster

Gorgeous name in any form, though the c may muddy the pronunciation.

Anastacia

Not cutting edge, but still graceful and feminine. Parents who care about style may pass on all names Chris (or Kris) related, which were so popular in the second half of the 20th century. But Christiana feels strong and distinctive, given to only about 50 baby girls each year. It does, however, feel distinctly Christian.

Christiana

Doris had long been on our so-far-out-it-will-always-be-out-for-babies list, and seemed to be written there in indelible ink. But there are signs of a sea change, that Doris could profit from the revivals of Dorothy and Dorothea.
 She may not look it now, but Doris was considered the paragon of grace when she was part of a group of s-ending names (Phyllis, Frances) fashionable in the 1920s, and it got another shot of life when attached to the perky Doris Day in the fifties. In classical Greek mythology, Doris is the daughter of Oceanus, god of the sea, who gave birth to fifty golden-haired sea nymphs.

Doris

Both Karissa and Carissa are trending downward, along with the other issa names that first rose to popularity in the 1970s. Karissa fell out of the Top 1000 in 2014, two years after Carissa.

Karissa

Osias has a Latinate and biblical feel without making an appearance in the Bible. The related Ozias, on the other hand, is a form of Uzziah, found in the Greek and Latin Old Testament, and could make a distinctive path to the nickname Oz or Ozzie--both far cooler, in our opinion, than Oswald.  

Osias

The name of a Christian saint and a city in Ohio, Xenia is one of the more accessible and intriguing x names. It is the name of one of the Bond Girls--played by Famke Janssen in the film "GoldenEye." 
 
Sometimes spelled Ksenia to reflect the traditional Greek pronunciation (kseh-NEE-uh), Xenia is also pronounced ZEEN-ee-ah or SHEN-yah.

Xenia

A fresh addition to the botanical name lists, Aster has in fact been in use since the 1910s, albeit quietly and sporadically. It began taking off for girls in the late 2000s, coinciding with comedian Gilbert Gottfried using it for his daughter, Lily Aster, in 2007, and the similar Astor appearing from 2006 until 2012 in the TV show Dexter.
 
As a floral and celestial choice, Aster is the name of a daisy-like flower, with a star-like shape. In this case, it's derived from the Greek word for "star". As an Ethiopian name, it's a variation of Esther, drawn from Amharic. Pronounced as ah-STAIR, it shows the same starry meaning. 
 
While Aster was more popular for girls in the 2010s, more recent years have seen it lean more unisex. In fact, it's a Top 200 choice in Belgium for boys. In the US, a recent year saw the split to be roughly 40:60 with 43 boys and 57 girls given the name.

Eulalia is a melodious name with a southern drawl, thanks to those lilting double Ls and similarity to similar Eudora and Eula. Familiar in the US in the early 20th century, it was also a popular choice in Brazil and Spain until the 60s when it fell out of style.
 
Derived from Greek, the name was borne by a 4th century teenage martyr, who is now the patron saint of Barcelona where there is a cathedral in her name. One legend associated with Eulalia is that a dove flew out of her neck when she was killed, thus the association with both sweet speech and peace.
 Eulalia is a character in William Faulkner's Absalom, Absalom while the French form Eulalie appears in the title of a poem by Edgar Alan Poe. 
 
Pronounced as yoo-LAY-lee-uh or yoo-LAH-lee-uh in English, nicknames include Eula and Lalia, though Layla, Lia, Lallie and Lala might work too. In Spanish and Italian, it is said as ehw-la-lee-a (or eh-(wuh)-la-lee-uh, the 'wuh' sound being subtle), while international forms include the aforementioned French Eulalie (UU-LA-EE) and the Spanish Olalla and Olalya (o-LA-ya).
 
A recent year saw Eulalia given to around 60 babies in the US, revealing a slight increase in interest in the name, which may well appeal to those who also enjoy stylish choices like Delilah, Tallulah, Luella, and Dahlia, or those who like ancient names like Cressida, Dorothea, and Cassandra.

Eulalia

Better known for his son and his quest for the Gold Fleece, Aeson was the father of Jason in Greek mythology. There are two varying myths around Aison, one being that he committed suicide after being imprisoned by his half-brother Pelias, and the other being he was killed by Jason's wife Medea, who then brought him to life again as a young man.
 Also spelled as Aison, the exact meaning of the name is unknown, though there is a chance that it may relate to Iason, the source of Jason, which means "to heal".
 
Aeson has been in the US stats since the late 90s but more consistently since 2005. Around 40 boys were given the name in a recent year, though whether parents are using it for its Greek origins (possible in this age of mythological names) or whether it's being used as a creative mix of Aiden, Jason, Mason, and Kaeson is unknown. As such, it may be heard as AY-suhn too.

Aeson

Nickname name in the era of Grease. Sandy fits well in the era of boyish nicknames for girls - a la Scottie and Stevie - or as an alternative to the rapidly rising Goldie. While it peaked in 1960, Sandy is still given to about 60 baby girls each year.

Sandy

Alethea, the name of the Greek goddess of truth, came into fashion in England in the 16th century, in tandem with the virtue names. Alethea may find new favor now, thanks to its similarity to Athena, Ophelia, and Alessia, and because it gets you nickname Thea.
 
The name can be pronounced as al-uh-THEE-uh or uh-LEE-thee-uh in English, though uh-LAY-thee-uh may also be heard. It was given to 65 babies in a recent year in the US.

Alethea

An underused Biblical name, probably because it's so tightly identified with the Queen of gospel singers, Mahalia Jackson. Other variations include Mahalah, Mahayla, Mahila, Mahilia, Mehalia, Mahali, and Mahalya.

Mahalia

The original Greek form of Luke, similar to the English Lucas, but with the emphasis on the second syllable. Loukas Notaras was a Byzantine Greek statesman - the last grand Duke of the Byzantine Empire, while a more recent bearer is Czech-Greek footballer, Loukas Vyntra.

Loukas

Reference to the mythological Three Graces of womanly charm, this one representing charity. Pronounced in Greek as starting with a back-of-the-throat H sound, most English-speakers would translate that to something closer to KAR-is. It's also the name of a girl who lived in Atlantis in the novel Taliesin, and appears in the Margaret Atwood novel The Robber Bride.

Charis

A British-accented Greek name with an intellectual image that has been off the U.S. charts since 1966, but was a Top 300 name at the turn of the last century. We have the feeling Cyril's ready for a comeback.
 Cyril is the name of several saints, including the ninth century Greek missionary who invented the Cyrillic alphabet. In literature, there are Cyrils featured in the Gilbert & Sullivan operetta, Princess Ida and D. H. Lawrence's novel, The White Peacock. 
 Oscar Wilde named a son Cyril. Cyrilla and Cyrille are the appealing female forms.

Cyril

A rare example of an a-ending boy's name that sounds masculine, Ilya has a large measure of creative Slavic charm. 
>p>Ilya Ilyich Oblomov is the central character in Goncharov's novel "Oblomov."  Unfortunately, he spends most of his life in his bathrobe and slippers.

Ilya

Greek names include choices from ancient mythology along with modern Greek names both familiar to English speakers and those used mainly in Greece. As 

 become more popular, Greek baby names are found more often in nurseries and on playgrounds around the world.

 for girls include Alexandra, Chloe, Katherine, Sophia, and Zoe. For boys, Greek names in the US Top 300 include Alexander, Andrew, Elias, Lucas, and Phoenix. In 

 include Constantine, Nicholas, Eleni, and Vasiliki.

today include Atalanta, Kassia, Timon, and Xan. Baby names drawn from ancient Greek myth include Pandora, Calypso, and Zephyr.



Many Greek baby names have traveled far and wide from their origins in Greece. But there are other Greek names that are attracting new interest that are more distinctly Greek: Cassia and Ione for girls, for instance, and Homer and Linus for boys.



If you’re interested in Greek names for your baby, here is our full range, ordered by current popularity on Nameberry.

Greek baby names for girls and boys with meanings and popularity, including top Greek names such as Theodore and Ophelia along with hundreds of unique Greek names. (Page 13)

Greek Names (with Meanings & Popularity)