Ancient Names From Antiquity

Nephele

Greek

"cloudy"

An enchanting ancient Greek name belonging to the Greek goddess who was created from a cloud by Zeus and so became goddess of the clouds and mother of the centaurs. The name Nephele is not widely…

Hilaria

Latin, Spanish

"cheerful"

Hilaria, the ancient Roman form of Hilary also given to joyous festivals, is still used in Spain and Poland, while the intriguing Italian version is Ilaria. A notable current bearer is fitness expert…

Agapi

Greek

"love, affection"

Agapi has a sweet meaning of love and affection, but though this name is used in modern Greece, it's one of the Greek names for girls that has not yet emigrated to the US along with so many of her…

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,…

Ourania

Ourania is a feminine name with ancient Greek origins. It directly derives from the Greek word 'οὐράνιος' (ouranios) meaning 'heavenly' or 'of the sky.' In Greek mythology, Ourania was one of the…

Caecilia

Feminine form of Caecilius, Latin

"blind"

The ancient Roman name that gave us Cecilia, Cecily, and related names. This spelling looks authentic, but might raise more pronunciation problems than it solves.

Decima

Latin

"tenth"

In the days of huge families, this name of the Roman goddess of prophecy and childbirth, and one of the Fates, would be saved for bambina number ten. Now it might be used for a girl born in October,…