Greek Mythology Names (with Meanings and Popularity)

Iphis is a unisex ancient Greek name that appears a number of times throughout Greek mythology, as a King of Argos, one of the Argonauts, and a Thespian princess. Most notably, however, it features in Ovid's Metamorphoses, in the tale of Iphis and Ianthe.
 
According to Ovid, Iphis is born a girl, however, to save them from being put to death by the father (who can't afford a woman's dowry), Iphis's mother conceals their sex and raises them as a boy. Iphis goes on to fall in love with Ianthe, but realizes they cannot wed as they are. While Iphis laments to Juno about the problem, their mother goes to a temple of Isis to ask for guidance, and, Just before the wedding is set to take place, Iphis is transformed into a man. 
 
Possibly derived from the Greek iphios meaning "strong, stout" or "force", Iphis can be said as EYE-fis, IF-fiss or EE-fees. A rare choice, it may appeal to those who like Iris, Idris, Ira, or Paris, or for those looking for a unisex name with mythological ties and and LGBTQ+ connections.

Iphis

An unusual name form Greek mythology, Pyrrhus is an alternative name for Neoptolemus, the son of Achilles. In this case, Pyrrha was the name of the woman Achilles once disguised himself as, and so it was passed on to his son. 
 
Borne by a king of Greece in the third century BC, Pyrrhus is associated with the idea of a Pyrrhic victory, that is, one that is achieved by too greater loss to the winner for it really to be considered successful. Still, with its cool, blazing meaning and mythological ties, Pyrrhus might appeal, and it could make an edgy yet playful choice for a cat (similar in sound to puss and in appearance to purr).

Pyrrhus

A name associated with fire and the autumnal shades of orange and red, Pyhrra is both a feminine form of the name Pyhrrus, and a figure in Greek mythology herself. A daughter of Pandora and Epimetheus, she and her husband are the only survivors of a flood sent by Zeus.
 
Derived from the adjective purrhos, usually applied when referring to hair color, the name means "flame-colored", and the mythological Pyrrha is described as being a redhead by Ovid and Horace. 
 
The name appears again in Greek legend, used by Achilles when he is disguised as a girl by his mother, in the hope of avoiding his prophesized death at Troy. Achilles later uses Pyrrhus for one of his sons, perhaps as a nod to this. 
 
Also the name of a minor planet making it a space-related choice, the name has also been used for characters in the game Soul Calibur V and in the web-series RWBY.

Pyrrha

A rare name from Greek mythology, with a warm and bright meaning, Mnemosyne is the Titan goddess of memory and the mother to the nine Muses. Pronounced as ni-MAHS-ih-nee in English and mnee-moh-SEE-nee, in contemporary Greek,  MNEH-MO-SUY-NEH is closer to the traditional sound. 

Mnemosyne

A melodic name with ties to mythology, Antiope was borne by a daughter of Ares and a sister to Melanippe, Orithyia, and Hippolyta, Queens of the Amazons. In some variations of the myth, she falls (willingly and freely) in love of with Theseus, who then abandons her, which leads to the Amazons attacking Athens; in other versions, she is abducted by Theseus and the Amazons attack Athens to rescue her.
 
Similar in sound to Calliope, Ianthe, and Xanthe, Antiope combines the Greek elements anti meaning "like" or "against" and ops meaning "voice", though other sources suggest the latter element is in fact opsis meaning "eye" or "looking". As such, the name could mean "like the voice", "against speech", "against look" or "looking at the other side".
 
In popular culture, Antiope appears in DC Comics as the aunt of Wonder Woman, and also features in the 2017 Wonder Woman movie, portrayed by Robin Wright. Antiope is additionally associated with a species of butterfly, better known as the Camberwell beauty of the mourning cloak.

Antiope

This name of the mythological mother of Achilles might suffer from English speakers making the rhyming association to the word fetus. The traditional Greek pronunciation might alleviate that problem. 

Thetis

In Greek mythology, Despoina is the daughter of Demeter and Poseidon. Associated with the veil and with fertility, Despoina was worshipped nearly exclusively at the Eleusinian Mysteries (the initiations for the cult of Demeter and Persephone). 
 
Pronounced as DHESS-pi-na in Greek (DH, like the beginning of then), but dess-PEE-nuh elsewhere, the mythological figure is shrouded in mystery, her "true" name only ever being revealed to those initiated in the Eleusinian religion and therefore lost to time.
 
Meaning "lady", "mistress of the house", or "dame", Despoina has also been used as an epithet for several goddesses, including Aphrodite, Hecate, Persephone, and Demeter. In more recent times, it has been born by footballer Despoina Chatzinikolaou.
 
Most notably used in its native Greece, the alternative spelling Despina is more likely to be used elsewhere.

Despoina

Tiasa is a little-known river nymph from Greek mythology. Her name would be easily wearable on a child today.

Tiasa

The name of one of the Furies in Greek mythology, a goddess who avenged crimes of murder. She
is described as wearing a dripping blood-red robe, with a serpent coiled around her waist.

Tisiphone

Tyche is the goddess of luck and fate in Greek mythology. Her Roman equivalent is, fittingly, Fortuna.

Tyche

In Greek mythology, Typhon was a giant serpent, and one of the deadliest mythological creatures.

Typhon

The name of one of the Greek Muses would be really difficult to bear here on earth. 

Urania

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

This alternate name for Apollo has a noble sound and can always be shortened to Xan. 

Xanthos

Zelus or Zelos was the god of rivalry and competition, one of the four winged Daemones who were gods for Zeus. This rare name is one mythological choice that may not come back in the modern world.

Zelus

Zephyr may not be a name often heard in the U.S., but its variations are used throughout Europe. Zephyrine, a cousin in sound and feel if not in fact to such lovely names as Severine and Seraphina, has distinctive possibilities.


Zephyrine

Theano was a 6th century Greek philosopher, who has been called both the wife and student of Pythagoras, though not enough is known about her life to say which was true. Her surviving writings focus on how to deal with children, physicians, philosophers, servants, and unfaithful husbands. 
 
Also held by several minor figures in Greek mythology, the name derives from the Greek thea meaning "goddess". Theano is currently a very obscure choice in the US, however, the short form Thea might make it feel familiar to those outside of Greece. 
 
Politician and architect Theono Fotiou is one notable bearer while Theano is also the name of a software for evaluating mathematical expressions.

Theano

In Greek mythology, Nyctimene was pursued by her own father, and therefore fled to find safety in the shadows of the woods. She was later transformed into an owl by the goddess Athena, out of punishment or pity, depending on which variation of the myth you read. 
 
Combining the Greek elements nyx and meno, Nyctimene means "to withstand or last the night", making it a name that is symbolic of strength and survival. 
 
Nyctimene is also a genus of bats, commonly known as tube-nosed fruit bats, in which case the name is translated less poetically as "who stays up at night" to reflect the nocturnal habits of the bat.

Nyctimene

In Greek mythology, Hylas was a companion, servant, and/or lover to Heracles, who was kidnapped by water nymphs. There are multiple versions of the myth, some in which Hylas falls in love with the nymphs and others in which he is silenced underwater or turned into an echo.
 
As a name, Hylas likely derives from the Greek hyle, meaning "wood, timber" or "trees, forest", though it has also been translated to mean"matter" (as in, of the material kind).
 
Currently rarely used as a given name, Hylas has been a significant figure in the arts, appearing in Edmund Spencer's The Faerie Queene, a number of works by Oscar Wilde, in a painting by John William Waterhouse, and in the 1963 movie, Jason and the Argonauts.

Hylas

In Greek mythology, Eleos was the personification of pity, mercy, and clemency. It is equally a virtuous Greek word name, albeit rarely used.


Eleos

Greek mythology names have become the unlikely stars of contemporary American baby naming. The names of ancient Greek gods, Greek goddesses and nymphs, and other figures from Greek myth and legend are becoming more widely used in the modern world.

Along with names from Roman mythology and other mythical cultures around the world, 

Greek mythology names give their namesakes an inspiring figure

 and story to live up to. With many Biblical names feeling old-fashioned, mythological names are taking their place.

are Iris and Penelope for girls, Atlas and Apollo for boys.

popular Greek mythological names for girls 

include Daphne, Phoebe, and Chloe. Along with Atlas and Apollo for boys, other

Trending baby names with roots in Greek mythology

 include Linus and Zeus for boys, Nyx and Echo for girls, and Zephyr for both genders. 

 abound, including notable choices Circe, Electra, Hermes, Oceanus, Pallas, and Hebe.

Here is our complete collection of Greek mythology names.

Greek mythology names for baby boys and baby girls, including names of gods and goddesses of ancient Greek myth and legend, with origins, meanings, and popularity (Page 8)