Mythological Names

A little heavy on the fiber content; we prefer Bram. But Bran is also the Celtic god of the underworld, whose symbol is the raven. It's probably not a coincidence that George R.R. Martin chose this name for the Stark heir who assumes the mystical title of "Three-Eyed Raven" in his A Song Of Ice And Fire books and HBO's Game of Thrones. The character's full name is Brandon.

Bran

Brisk but rather brittle. Britt Eklund was a Bond Girl in the 1974 The Man with the Golden Gun. Britt is a contracted form of Birgit, but be aware that it does come with the strong possibility of being confused with Bret/Brett&mdash;or as a shortening of Brittany.

Britt

This lovely surname of the three novel-writing sisters, now used as a baby name, makes a fitting tribute for lovers of Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights. While the original name took an umlaut over the e, modern English speakers may find that more trouble than it's worth (though big fans of the Brontës may well disagree).
 Trivia note: The Anglo-Irish clergyman who was the father of Charlotte, Emily and Anne changed his name from the original Brunty. According to scholars, the family pronounced the name bron-tee, though today, you're likely to hear this pronunciation used interchangeably with bron-tay. 
 
In Australia, the name is more likely to take inspiration from Bronte Beach in Sydney. It was named after Lord Nelson, the 1st Duke of Bronté. He got his title from a town in Sicily, itself named after a mythological Cyclops.
 Many people first noticed the name in the film Green Card, as the name of the Andie MacDowell character.
 
Familiarly used in the 90s and early 2000s in the UK, Bronte fell out of style in the 2010s, but more recently, it has been coming back in a big way. In the latest stats, it ranked just outside the Top 500 in England and Wales, while in the US, it was given to just 14 girls.

Bronte

One of the Valkyries, still clad in heavy armor. 

Brunhild

Brynhild is a feminine name with deep roots in Norse mythology, where Brynhildr was a legendary shieldmaiden and valkyrie. The name combines Old Norse elements: 'bryn' meaning 'armor' or 'protection' and 'hildr' meaning 'battle' or 'warfare,' creating a powerful meaning of 'armor-clad warrior woman' or 'battle in armor.' This strong, distinctive name reflects courage and strength. Though never extremely common, it has maintained a presence in Scandinavian countries and has seen occasional use among those with Nordic heritage or those drawn to mythological names. The name carries historical gravitas and an association with female power and determination.

Brynhild

Cadmus is the name of the serpent-slaying hero of Greek mythology who also founded the city of Thebes and is credited with inventing the alphabet. Its ancient feel might appeal to modern parents &mdash; especially since Cadmus Peverell is a human Harry Potter character, one of the three original owners of the Deathly Hallows.

Cadmus

Cador is said to be one of the ancient rulers of Cornwall who, according to Arthurian legend, was the guardian of Guinevere. The name Cadbury is said to come from his four hill-forts.


Cador

Callirrhoe is a Greek mythological nymph and companion of Persephone. It offers nicknames Calli, Ro, Clio, and Coco.

Callirrhoe

Another name for Cardea, the Roman goddess of hinges who was typically associated with doorways.

Carda

The Roman goddess of hinges. She is one of three deities that ruled over doorways, along with Forculus, god of the door, and Limentinus, god of the threshold.

Cardea

Carna was a Roman goddess of the heart and flesh. She was eventually conflated with Cardea, goddess of hinges.

Carna

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

A mythological Welsh name with an intriguing sound, Ceridwen appears in several Welsh legends, in which she is an an enchantress and the owner of the cauldron of poetic inspiration. She is also associated with the great bard, Taliesin, with one 16th-century tale recounting that when her servant consumed a potion of wisdom, intended for Ceridwen's son, Ceridwen swallows the servant, who is then reborn through her as the bard. 
 
Sometimes interpreted as the goddess of rebirth, transformation, inspiration, and poetry. in modern times, there are several theories on the etymology of the name. One is that it comes from cyrrid meaning "bent, crooked", combined with either ben or gwen meaning "woman" and "white, fair, blessed" respectively. In this case, the name could take on a darker, witchy-er feel.
 
Alternatively, it may come from credd meaning "poetry", mixed with either gwen or awen, which offer two lovely meanings: "fair as a poem" or "poetic inspiration". Other scholars have additionally proposed that the first element may come from craid meaning "passionate, fierce, powerful" or from credu meaning "belief", thereby interpreting the name as "powerful woman" or "woman to be believed in".
 
Ceridwen has been predominantly used in its native Wales, but is sometimes seen in England too.


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Ceridwen

Chandra is the name of the Hindu moon goddess last groovy when incense and meditation were hot new concepts but a new possibility with the resurgence of astrology and other non-Western spiritual beliefs.

Chandra

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. 

Charon

Chryse is the name of several characters in Greek mythology, including a lover of Ares and as a potential epithet of Athena.
 
Ptolemy dubbed the Philippines Chryse Chersonessos, meaning "isle of gold."

Chryse

Ciza is a goddess in Polish mythology whose areas include nourishment and breastfeeding. It is recorded that the German city Ausburg was once known as Cisaris after this goddess.

Ciza

Clementia, related to names like Clementine and Clemence, was the older and original feminine version of this name. It was used most frequently in the Middle Ages in continental Europe. Clementia was also a minor Roman goddess (or personification) of mercy.

Clementia

An elaborate way to get to Cleo, rooted in Greek mythology. Cleocharia was a water nymph married to King Lelex of Laconia.

Cleocharia

Cleta was one of the Charities or Graces.

Cleta

 come from myths and legends around the world. Deities of Greek and Roman lore have inspired some of the top baby names in the US today, including choices such as Luna and Penelope for girls, Atlas and Apollo for boys.

mythological names for girls in the US Top 1000

 include Maeve, Freya, Aurora, and Athena. Other mythological girl names popular in the US include Luna, Iris, Phoebe, and Penelope.

mythological names for boys in the US Top 1000

 include Arthur, Orion, Tristan, and Odin. Other mythological boy names widely-used in the US include Oscar, Finn, Jasper, and Dylan.

As this trend has progressed, parents have started looking for 

from a range of international cultures, such as Norse, Celtic, Hindu, and African traditions.

 from around the world trending now include the Hindu goddess name Aditi, the Slavic Zorya, and the Nigerian Oba, ancient goddess of the rivers.

 from the very beginning, a story to inspire and a heroic figure to emulate.

See our full collection of mythology names below.

Mythological names such as Luna and Apollo for baby girls and baby boys come from myth and legend around the world. Here are top and unique names from mythology with meanings, origins, and popularity (Page 21)