Greek Mythology Inspired Names

[name_m]Hi[/name_m] everyone.
I have always been interested in Greek mythology and now have a deep love for it, and I’d really love to find a name that has some relation to it for (preferably) a daughter, though I’m open to boy names!
I’ve already thought over the obvious ones ([name_f]Athena[/name_f], [name_u]Artemis[/name_u], [name_f]Aphrodite[/name_f], [name_f]Hera[/name_f], [name_f]Hestia[/name_f], etc) and she while I love the names or the story, they’re sort of hit and miss for me.
Probably one of my favourite stories was of [name_f]Psyche[/name_f] & [name_m]Eros[/name_m], but I just can’t bring myself to name my child [name_f]Psyche[/name_f] (especially as I’m studying Psychology).

[name_f]Do[/name_f] you have any names that would work? I like [name_f]Laurel[/name_f], and while I like the idea of [name_f]Daphne[/name_f], I don’t love the name. [name_f]Atalanta[/name_f] has a pretty cool myth but is the name too strange?
Let me know what you guys think! [name_m]Even[/name_m] if it’s a subtle nod, I’d love to include something mythological in a girls name.
(P.S. also like Celtic mythology names but don’t have much knowledge regarding it. Also know a lot of [name_m]Roman[/name_m], Egyptian and Norse mythology.)

[name_m]Just[/name_m] throwing out a few that are lesser-known, not sure how you’d feel about the mythology behind them:
Hecate
[name_f]Asteria[/name_f]
[name_f]Circe[/name_f]
[name_f]Alcyone[/name_f]
[name_f]Thalia[/name_f]
[name_f]Rhea[/name_f]
Amphitrite
[name_f]Calliope[/name_f]
[name_f]Maia[/name_f]

Of those, I think the most easily pronounced as well as having the fewest negative connotations are [name_f]Asteria[/name_f] (Titaness goddess of oracles and prophetic dreams), [name_f]Thalia[/name_f] (the [name_f]Muse[/name_f] of comedy and poetry), and [name_f]Rhea[/name_f] (Titaness goddess of nature). I’m partial to Hecate and Amphitrite, but Hecate is the goddess of magic, crossroads, moon, ghosts, witchcraft, and necromancy, which aren’t all exactly super-positive associations, and Amphitrite is hard to pronounce unless you know it’s Greek in nature and take cues from similar names like [name_f]Aphrodite[/name_f] etc. I also like your choice of [name_f]Atalanta[/name_f]! It’s similar enough to [name_f]Atlanta[/name_f] to be easy to pronounce but still has that Greek flair.

I like that Hecate is different but I could imagine a kid being teased for it, and I love [name_f]Calliope[/name_f] but I ALWAYS accidentally pronounce it wrong! It’s just hard wired in my brain wrong I think.

[name_f]Anthea[/name_f], [name_f]Ariadne[/name_f], [name_f]Clio[/name_f], [name_f]Danae[/name_f], [name_f]Hebe[/name_f], Helle, [name_f]Ianthe[/name_f], [name_f]Io[/name_f], [name_f]Irene[/name_f], [name_f]Iris[/name_f], [name_f]Larisa[/name_f]/[name_f]Larissa[/name_f], [name_f]Melia[/name_f], [name_f]Melissa[/name_f]

[name_m]Cadmus[/name_m], [name_m]Damon[/name_m], [name_m]Evander[/name_m], [name_m]Hector[/name_m], [name_m]Jason[/name_m], [name_m]Leander[/name_m], [name_m]Nestor[/name_m]

I love Greek myth names.

Akantha
[name_f]Althea[/name_f]
[name_f]Andromeda[/name_f]
[name_f]Antigone[/name_f]
[name_f]Cassiopeia[/name_f]
[name_f]Kore[/name_f]/[name_f]Cora[/name_f]
[name_u]Dione[/name_u]
[name_u]Echo[/name_u]
[name_f]Eirene[/name_f]
[name_f]Evadne[/name_f]
[name_f]Gaia[/name_f]
[name_f]Hermione[/name_f]
[name_u]Hero[/name_u]
Ilithyia
[name_f]Ione[/name_f]
[name_f]Kallisto[/name_f]
[name_f]Leda[/name_f]
Leto
[name_f]Nyx[/name_f]
[name_f]Pandora[/name_f]
[name_f]Persephone[/name_f]
[name_f]Phoebe[/name_f]
[name_f]Selene[/name_f]
[name_f]Theia[/name_f]
[name_f]Xanthe[/name_f]

[name_f]Atalanta[/name_f] is gorgeous

[name_f]Phaedra[/name_f]
[name_f]Medea[/name_f] (I know she was the bad one, but she’s also very badass)
[name_f]Iphigenia[/name_f]
[name_f]Euridice[/name_f]
[name_f]Cassandra[/name_f]

I’d like to add [name_f]Eleni[/name_f] and Theonoe
I saw someone suggest [name_f]Alcyone[/name_f] and would just like to say that ahl-kee-NAW-ee is the Greek pronunciation (but then again foreigners tend to butcher up the pronunciations, like with Polyxeni, [name_f]Xanthe[/name_f] etc)

I have my favorites

[name_m]Ares[/name_m]
[name_m]Atlas[/name_m]
[name_m]Castor[/name_m]
[name_m]Evander[/name_m]
[name_m]Helios[/name_m]
[name_m]Icarus[/name_m]
[name_m]Leander[/name_m]
[name_m]Linus[/name_m]
[name_m]Perseus[/name_m]

[name_f]Antigone[/name_f]
[name_f]Astraea[/name_f]
[name_f]Calliope[/name_f]
[name_f]Circe[/name_f]
[name_u]Echo[/name_u]
[name_f]Gaia[/name_f]
[name_f]Hestia[/name_f]
[name_f]Io[/name_f]
[name_f]Iphigenia[/name_f]
[name_f]Iris[/name_f]
[name_f]Pandora[/name_f]
[name_f]Persephone[/name_f]
[name_f]Phaedra[/name_f]
[name_f]Psyche[/name_f]
[name_f]Rhea[/name_f]
[name_f]Selene[/name_f]

I love mythology and am at university studying Classics so I feel obliged to warn you against certain names. When using a mythological name I think it’s very important to research it fully, as often they had horrible stories that you may not want associated with your child. This is more commonly true of the women (and it is very common). For example:

Abducted/Raped - [name_f]Io[/name_f], [name_f]Leda[/name_f], Europa, [name_f]Persephone[/name_f], [name_f]Daphne[/name_f] (and so [name_f]Laurel[/name_f]), [name_f]Cassandra[/name_f]
Incest - [name_f]Ismene[/name_f], [name_f]Antigone[/name_f], [name_f]Jocasta[/name_f]/Epicaste
“Died” in some awful way - [name_f]Hecuba[/name_f], [name_f]Iphigenia[/name_f], [name_f]Phaedra[/name_f] (also [name_f]Antigone[/name_f]), [name_u]Echo[/name_u]

The names are stunning a lot of the time, but be careful that you don’t end up naming your child something with an association that you can’t stand

Greek & [name_m]Roman[/name_m] Mythology names with happy endings (for the most part):

[name_f]Lavinia[/name_f]: In [name_m]Vergil[/name_m]'s Aeneid, she is basically the catalyst of the war that leads to the founding of [name_m]Rome[/name_m]. Plus, she later became a queen and ruled Latium (which would eventually become [name_m]Rome[/name_m]) following the death of her husband, [name_m]Aeneas[/name_m], because their son, Ascanius, was too young.

Nausicaa / Nausicaä / Nausikaa (naw-sick-ay-uh, if I’m not mistaken): a princess who helps [name_m]Odysseus[/name_m] on his journey back to [name_f]Ithaca[/name_f] in [name_m]Homer[/name_m]'s Odyssey. She is said to be goddess-level beautiful and sort of acts as a mother figure to [name_m]Odysseus[/name_m]. A bit of a mouthful, but ripe with nickname potential (ex: [name_u]Nic[/name_u], [name_u]Nicky[/name_u], [name_f]Sissy[/name_f], Niska). Plus, the name means “burner of ships”, which is pretty cool.

[name_f]Ariadne[/name_f]: the woman who helps [name_m]Theseus[/name_m] defeat the Minotaur. Though she gets stranded on an island by him, she’s later saved by and marries [name_m]Dionysus[/name_m], and becomes immortal. Her [name_m]Roman[/name_m] counterpart is [name_f]Arianna[/name_f].

[name_f]Penelope[/name_f]: [name_m]Odysseus[/name_m]’ loyal wife who waits nearly twenty years for her husband to return from war, making her basically a single mother as she raises their son, Telemachus, who was only a year old when [name_m]Odysseus[/name_m] left.

[name_f]Daphne[/name_f] / [name_f]Laurel[/name_f]: not a great ending. According to [name_m]Ovid[/name_m]‘s Metamorphoses, she’s chased by [name_m]Apollo[/name_m] with the threat of getting rape (not sure if she actually was, but I could be wrong) because [name_m]Eros[/name_m]’ (or [name_m]Cupid[/name_m]'s) arrow causes him to become infatuated with her. Her father turns her into a laurel tree to protect her. Following this myth, laurel is seen as the biggest symbol of honour (hence why laurel wreaths were used in the Olympics). So, while she has a sad ending, she has an amazing legacy.

[name_m]Hector[/name_m]: prince of [name_m]Troy[/name_m] and its greatest fighter, with [name_m]Achilles[/name_m] being the only man to defeat him (in a really harsh way :frowning: ). His death is heartbreaking but his loyalty to his family and city and amazing ability as a fighter (if it weren’t for him, [name_m]Troy[/name_m] would have fallen the moment the war began) make him an honourable hero.

[name_m]Odysseus[/name_m]: super loyal husband, rich with cunning, and an amazing fighter. Iconic hero who achieves in his quest to return home. His [name_m]Roman[/name_m] counterpart is [name_m]Ulysses[/name_m].

[name_m]Adonis[/name_m]: known for his beauty, loved by [name_f]Aphrodite[/name_f] / [name_f]Venus[/name_f], tragically gets killed by a boar but he dies in the arms of his love. He’s the subject of the longest Italian poem ever written, the Adone by Giambattista [name_m]Marino[/name_m].

I love the myth of [name_m]Cupid[/name_m] and [name_f]Psyche[/name_f] too! The name [name_f]Psyche[/name_f] is actually really pretty, but I can’t find a way to make it work :(. The [name_m]Roman[/name_m] translation of her name is Anima, but that’s not totally a great name either. The name means “soul” or breath of life", so I could find some names that share the meaning for you, if that helps:
[name_f]Alma[/name_f] (“nurturing, soul”)
[name_f]Ava[/name_f] / [name_f]Eva[/name_f] / [name_f]Eve[/name_f] (“life”)
[name_f]Liv[/name_f] (“life”)
[name_u]Vida[/name_u] (“life”)
[name_f]Zoe[/name_f] (“life”)

[name_f]Atalanta[/name_f] isn’t totally strange. [name_u]Tali[/name_u] would be a really cute nickname. And, if names like [name_f]Georgia[/name_f], [name_f]Carolina[/name_f], [name_m]Austin[/name_m], etc. are acceptable, I’m sure [name_f]Atalanta[/name_f] will be fine. And, like you said, the myth is really cool.

I hope this helps! I’m sorry this is such a long post!

I don’t have any more names to add at this moment, but I wanted to say that [name_f]Atalanta[/name_f] is very usable. I personally know one, and I have mutual friends with about 3 others.

Nausicaa (naw-sick-kah: she is a princess who helps [name_m]Odysseus[/name_m] on his journey back to [name_f]Ithaca[/name_f] in [name_m]Homer[/name_m]'s Odyssey. She is said to be goddess-level beautiful and sort of acts as a mother figure to [name_m]Odysseus[/name_m]. The name means “burner of ships”

I just wanted to chime in and say that I named my daughter [name_f]Thalia[/name_f]. I am happy with our choice. There are a couple different legit pronunciations, but it hasn’t been too much of a bother. I like that it’s relatively easy to pronounce in English, Spanish, and Greek. It’s uncommon, but not weird.

My mom’s name is [name_f]Effie[/name_f]/Efterpe which another one of the nine muses. My grandmother’s name is [name_f]Athena[/name_f] and my niece is [name_f]Penelope[/name_f].

If we have another girl [name_f]Clio[/name_f] is on my list. Another Greek name I like is [name_f]Ione[/name_f] (eye-OH-nee), I’m not sure of any mythological connections though.

[name_f]Eleni[/name_f] is a version of [name_f]Helen[/name_f] (of [name_m]Troy[/name_m]) that is pretty common among Greek-American ladies. I realized I haven’t included any male names, I can’t think of many Greek male names that I like for some reason, except maybe [name_m]Leander[/name_m] which was mentioned above.

Good luck, please keep us posted.

[name_f]Camilla[/name_f], [name_f]Clio[/name_f], [name_f]Daphne[/name_f], [name_f]Diana[/name_f], and [name_f]Penelope[/name_f] all on my favourite names list at the moment!

I fully agree with @emmievis. I am not Greek but I had lived in Greece for many years and I can safely say that Greek is like a second mother tongue for me. I adore Ancient Greek names and I happen to have one as my first name ([name_f]Rea[/name_f], spelled like that). I get quite irritated when I hear them pronounced differently than the original, I respect however the rules of any language.

I would also consider deeply the story behind the name. [name_f]Medea[/name_f] may sound “badass” as a previous poster has mentioned but naming a baby after a mad witch who killed her sibling and children is not the best option in my opinion

[name_f]Ambrosia[/name_f]
[name_f]Ligeia[/name_f]
[name_f]Cassiopeia[/name_f]
[name_f]Circe[/name_f]
[name_u]Calypso[/name_u]
[name_f]Callisto[/name_f]
[name_f]Apollonia[/name_f]
[name_u]Echo[/name_u]
[name_f]Persephone[/name_f]
[name_f]Eos[/name_f]
[name_u]Orion[/name_u]
[name_f]Lyra[/name_f]
[name_f]Orphea[/name_f]
[name_u]Paris[/name_u]
[name_m]Hector[/name_m]
[name_f]Cybele[/name_f]
[name_f]Sybil[/name_f]
[name_m]Aeneas[/name_m]
[name_m]Odysseus[/name_m]
Khione
[name_m]Hermes[/name_m]
[name_m]Icarus[/name_m]
[name_m]Daedalus[/name_m]