I see names like [name_f]Athena[/name_f], [name_u]Atlas[/name_u], [name_f]Freya[/name_f], [name_f]Persephone[/name_f], [name_m]Apollo[/name_m], [name_m]Aries[/name_m], [name_u]Orion[/name_u] and others. I like them a lot but I wonder if as a [name_u]Christian[/name_u] it is okay to name your child after false gods, because the Bible speaks a lot about Idolatry. I just wanted to know what my fellow [name_u]Christian[/name_u] name berries think about this!
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I’m Catholic and I don’t think it’s a problem. In fact I think naming your child one of these names proves you’re not actually worshipping them, because such a profane usage of the name of a god would be problematic…
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I don’t think [name_m]Jesus[/name_m] minds 
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You wouldn’t be worshipping those pagan gods or your kids sooooooo
I love mythology names! I think it’s absolutely fine and wonderful. The stories are super cool and meaningful and teach lessons…
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You know, this is something I have never really considered before…
Tbh, I don’t see it as a problem. As others have said, giving a name like that to your child does not denote idolatry or pagan worship of any kind. I really enjoy reading and am fascinated by Greek myth and whatnot, but that doesn’t mean it’s my religion. What’s more, there are plenty of non-Christians who use names like [name_f]Hannah[/name_f] and [name_m]David[/name_m], [name_m]Paul[/name_m] and [name_f]Faith[/name_f].
When the time comes, I suppose it really comes down to what you personally are comfortable with and feel is right for yourself and your child.
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Thank for the insight! I agree with a lot of these statements! I tend to over think things so thank you for helping me figure this out!
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I think it depends on your own personal beliefs and whether that’s something you’re comfortable with. But I’ve met [name_u]Christian[/name_u] women with names like [name_f]Diana[/name_f], [name_f]Irene[/name_f] and [name_f]Iris[/name_f], all of which are the names of ancient goddesses, so I don’t think it’s likely to be an issue.
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I think sometimes a name is just a name. If you’re not naming your kid after a certain god, you should be fine.
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As a [name_u]Christian[/name_u] I agree it’s all right as long as you’re not naming the child in honor of a god.
On an entirely personal level (I acknowledge that it has to do with my own comfort level rather than being a rule everyone should adhere to) I’ll add a name to my list IF the god in question is not my first association with the name. [name_f]Iris[/name_f] is a flower, etc.
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Personally, I see Greek mythological names as more literary/historical than religious, because deities like [name_f]Athena[/name_f] aren’t really worshipped anymore outside of a few niche modern pagan revivalist communities. It doesn’t really bother me from a theological/religious standpoint. I wouldn’t use a name strongly associated with a modern religious community other than Christianity (not counting names that are associated with both Christianity and Judaism, of course) but that’s as much about respecting other people’s beliefs as it is reflecting my own.
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What a great question! I actually am different from a lot of [name_u]Christian[/name_u] berries in that this does bother me a lot. To me, it’s not so much idolatry in name, but why would I honor a god(dess) I don’t believe in, over the God I do believe in and love? There are some that I truly love, particularly [name_f]Freya[/name_f]! I do find [name_m]Apollo[/name_m] intriguing, but love even more [name_m]Apollos[/name_m], an intriguing figure in the early church (who himself must’ve been named after a god, but my focus is more on the good that [name_m]Apollos[/name_m] had done and his ministry in the church).
Certain others I’m not 100% on, like [name_f]Penelope[/name_f] and [name_f]Daphne[/name_f]. I’m not hugely familiar with Greek mythology, so I don’t know 100%, but I was under the impression that both were related to Greek mythology but weren’t actual goddesses, which feels more usable to me. Then again, both are so well known that they don’t feel nearly as associated with Greek mythology as they are just really great names.
And [name_u]Orion[/name_u] and [name_f]Lyra[/name_f] have ties to mythology, to be sure, but I value them more for their ties to astronomy; I am a HUGE fan of astronomy, and grew up feeling closer to God because of staring up at the stars at night when I prayed to Him, so they are more symbolic of my relationship with God than tied to mythology in my own life. There is a prophecy in my church that when [name_m]Jesus[/name_m] returns, it will be through [name_u]Orion[/name_u]'s Belt, too, which just seems like a really special tie to [name_u]Orion[/name_u] for me. I have grown up with kids named [name_u]Orion[/name_u], too, it just seems way more accessible to me than something like [name_f]Persephone[/name_f], which is 100% Greek mythology goddess to me.
In that vein, I think it probably comes down to associations. If you’re in [name_f]England[/name_f], I’m sure [name_f]Freya[/name_f] does seem much more commonplace, almost like [name_f]Penelope[/name_f] or [name_f]Daphne[/name_f], because of its popularity there! And clearly everyone has their own opinions, so it comes down to what you’re comfortable with. As a [name_u]Christian[/name_u], I find [name_f]Delilah[/name_f] to be a VERY bizarre choice lol, but many Christians are fine with it, and even name their little ones [name_f]Delilah[/name_f]. 
I would say the majority of mythology names I am not comfortable with, personally, but I do make certain exceptions, like [name_u]Orion[/name_u] and [name_f]Lyra[/name_f].
Good luck!
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Thank you for that! I agree with you on [name_f]Delilah[/name_f]! Haha!! I also hear people name their sons [name_m]Cain[/name_m] and I’m like why???
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I think it’s better to name your kid something from your own ethnicity, rather than a Jewish name. Of course, names like [name_m]Silas[/name_m] and [name_f]Penelope[/name_f] are Biblical European names. [name_f]Ona[/name_f] was one I thought of- it’s popular in both Lithuania, where I have ancestry, and [name_f]Africa[/name_f]. But I think something like [name_f]Freya[/name_f] is better than something like [name_f]Deborah[/name_f] or [name_f]Jasmine[/name_f] or something. But think about it, [name_f]Esther[/name_f] was a very devout Biblical woman named after a pagan goddess. That was even before [name_m]Jesus[/name_m]. I don’t think God cares or has ever cared. He’s more concerned with actual idol worship. I like the idea that a great something grandma may have had my baby’s name, so I stay away from the Jewish ones. Between my husband and I, anything from Western or Eastern Europe could work, Greek or Native American. I’ve chosen to include my grandmother’s name in my child’s name as well. We could go Irish, since our kids are going to be half Irish, but I’m pretty Irished-out, since my birth family had all Irish names.
I really like [name_f]Inga[/name_f] [name_f]Caroline[/name_f] for my daughter. Please don’t steal, lel! Ing was a Germanic goddess of beauty, and [name_f]Inga[/name_f] is basically saying that she’s as pretty as Ing. [name_f]Caroline[/name_f] was my grandma’s name. A name like [name_f]Inga[/name_f] [name_f]Caroline[/name_f] will be popular in Scandinavia and [name_m]Germany[/name_m], but not in the US. I liked the name [name_f]Anya[/name_f] for a while, also spelled [name_f]Aine[/name_f] and [name_f]Anja[/name_f]. It’s actually a traditional name in [name_m]Germany[/name_m], [name_f]Ireland[/name_f], the Netherlands, and Eastern Europe, not just [name_f]Russia[/name_f]. There are some cool [name_f]English[/name_f] names even that we don’t use anymore, like [name_f]Solandis[/name_f] and [name_f]Ebba[/name_f] for girls. I think if you’re going to use an uncommon name, pick a common middle name to show people that it’s all okay!