Names That Mean Mythology

Hypnos is the personification of sleep in Greek mythology.

Hypnos

Pontus is a Greek sea god who rules over fish and other creatures of the ocean.

Pontus

In Greek mythology, Tartarus rules over the depths of the underworld. Probably not the best role model for a little boy.

Tartarus

Irish goddess and saint name that's strong, to say the least. 

Macha

One mythological name not used for modern babies, Thanatos is the Greek personification of peaceful death.

Thanatos

In Greek mythology, Uranus is Father Sky, god of the heavens and father of the Titans. All admirable, inspirational qualities, and Uranus should even score extra points as a planetary, celestial name. Alas, that still doesn't make the name work in English, thanks to the teasing potential of the sounds.


Uranus

The Greek god of intellect, Coeus is one mythological figure whose name has not been revived in modern times...but should be.

Coeus

A Titan and, according to some sources, the god of the constellations. It also means "ram" in Ancient Greek, though it not etymologically related to Aries. 

Crius

Appearing several times in Greek mythology, Pallas is an epithet of Athena, the goddess or wisdom, and, depending on which version of the legends you follow, is also borne by a (female) childhood friend of Athena; by a giant son of Gaia, whom Athena slays; a Titan war god; a teacher of Athena; and a grandson of the King Evander, who features in Virgil's Aeneid.
 
Pronounced PAHL-LAHS in Classical Greek and PAL-uhs in English, it could mean "to brandish" or it could mean "youth".

Pallas

Oengus is the old Irish form of the name most commonly found in the modern world as Angus, typically Scottish.
<?br>In Irish mythology, Oengus is the god of youth, love, and poetry.

Oengus

In Greek Mythology, Aeacus was the son of Zeus who became king of the island Aegina.

Aeacus

Grimes may have named her daughter Exa Dark Sideræl, but it wasn't her top choice. "A girl named Odysseus is my dream," she told reporters. Now that Grimes put it out there as a potential girl name, will parents adopt Odysseus for their daughters? It's already a rising choice for baby boys, more popular than ever before.
 
With the 2026 movie adaptation of Homer's Odyssey bringing the name more attention, could it truly enter the stats for girls? Possibly, though based on existing data, it's Odyssey itself that parents prefer for daughters.

Odysseus

Twin brother of Cassandra in Greek mythology who also was a celebrated seer. A Trojan prince, he was the son of King Priam and Queen Hecuba.

Helenus

Zephyrinus is the form of the name of the Greek god of the west wind best known as the name of a pope and saint.

Zephyrinus

Clytie was a sea nymph who loved the sun god Helios, who spurned her. She turned into the heliotrope flower.

Clytie

The wife of legendary Irish hero Cu Chulainn, blessed with the gifts of beauty sweet speech, wisdom, needlework, and chastity -- a mixed bag. 

Émer

A Greek goddess of music and poetry, Danaë has a novel yet familiar sound. 

Danaë

Little known name of the goddess of the harvest — her name literally means nourishment, and is the origin of the word cereal. A possibility for the parent seeking something original, but with the aura of Roman myth.  Her Greek counterpart is Demeter. 


Ceres

Atalanta was a beautiful mythological maiden who refused to marry any man who couldn't beat her in a footrace -- quite a role model. This myth is found in Ovid's Metamorphoses and later in Swinburne's Atalantis in Calydon.
 The addition of a fourth 'a' takes this out of the area of place names into a more rhythmic and romantic realm.

Atalanta

While Maui was a male trickster god in Polynesian mythology, the well-known Hawaiian place name Maui can work for either gender.