To name your children after gods and goddesses? Are certain gods/goddesses’ names more acceptable to use than others? Which ones would you and which ones wouldn’t you use?
I never thought of it as pretentious because practically nobody worships gods and goddesses as a religion anymore. At this point, they’re more like literary names (from mythology) than ACTUAL gods or goddesses. I’m interested to see what other people think, though. It’s a question I never thought of before.
Um, I think hundreds of millions of Hindus in the world would disagree that “practically nobody worships gods and goddesses anymore”… not to mention the (much smaller) [name]Pagan[/name]/Wiccan/New Age community. That’s a bit ignorant.
To answer the original question, no, I don’t find it pretentious. 
I don’t know… I’ve never found it pretentious, but I’ve never really been a fan of the idea since I’m a [name]Christian[/name]. It always seemed weird to name my child after a god that was kind of at odds with my God, haha, if that makes sense. I was wildly against it when I first started to get serious about names, but I’m less opposed to it now–[name]Daphne[/name] is a personal favorite of mine (although she wasn’t a goddess), and I kind of like [name]Penelope[/name] and [name]Phoebe[/name], as well, and I don’t mind seeing others use [name]Athena[/name] or [name]Persephone[/name] or whatever.
Now that I think about it, [name]Athena[/name] has always felt a bit pretentious to me. I couldn’t say why, and I couldn’t say which gods/goddesses would be okay and which wouldn’t… I mean, if you have a connection to the name then it obviously becomes more usable. [name]Even[/name] if you have just always liked the Greek mythology stories or whatever, I think that’s a close enough connection. I’ll likely use names that are tied to the Bible, mainly because I’m a [name]Christian[/name] and those names mean more to me, but I don’t see why others couldn’t use mythology names. There’s a lot of great choices out there, and I think a lot of them aren’t too pretentious to use.
I apologize. Esrever88, you’re absolutely right. I was thinking only of Greek and [name]Roman[/name] gods and goddesses, because those are the most popular of those names for babies lately. I wasn’t considering at all any other cultures’ deities (which doesn’t paint me in the best light). I seriously am sorry if I offended anyone. OP, could you clarify if you are asking only about Greek/[name]Roman[/name] names or if you’re talking about any gods or goddesses in general?
I don’t think it’s pretentious, but I would be wary unless you’re very well informed on the mythology. Lots of the gods and goddesses had several roles and some of them were not very nice characters at all! I would just worry about people springing stories I hadn’t heard of on me and saying, “You called him after a god who did THAT?!”
Then again, I suppose this wouldn’t necessarily be a problem. For example, I imagine you wouldn’t really get people doing that with [name]Juno[/name].
I was also referring to ancient mythology gods and goddesses in my response.
That’s an interesting question to ask, and my son and I have talked about this. He has been studying the classics, and wants to get a degree in classics once he finishes in the [name]Army[/name]. He believes that it is “asking for trouble” to name your child after certain gods and goddesses, particularly after some of the Titans, like [name]Ajax[/name], for example, or Hyperion. He says the combination of the tragic stories and the once-power invested in these names sets up a situation he wouldn’t want for his own child. We are Jewish, so this is an interesting theological point to me, sort of like not naming your child after a living relative to confuse the [name]Angel[/name] of Death or saying “bad rice” to appease the kitchen gods. I’ve pointed out to him that Greeks have continued to use these names for years – growing up in Connecticut, where there are so many Greeks I knew many kids named [name]Athena[/name] and [name]Apollo[/name], for example – and he just shrugs his shoulders.
I personally have tried to avoid names for my children with “bad” stories attached to them. It’s why I find it hard to believe that I would have a student named [name]Uriah[/name], for example. Thus I would never name a child [name]Persephone[/name] or [name]Paris[/name], where I might consider [name]Hector[/name]. [name]Even[/name] though [name]Hector[/name] died a tragic death, he was a real hero. I realise that this isn’t logical, but of course, who said naming was?
No offense taken on my part. I know you didn’t mean anything by it! It’s just that I know a woman who named her daughter for the Hindu goddess [name]Kali[/name], which is… an interesting association to say the least. Didn’t find that one pretentious so much as a bit disturbing!
No. Names of Greek/[name]Roman[/name] gods and goddesses (which I assume is what you are talking about) are lovely, antiquated names that I feel are underused. However, I don’t plan on naming my son [name]Hercules[/name] or my daughter [name]Venus[/name]. But that doesn’t mean that they are pretentious. I mostly wouldn’t use they for the same reason I wouldn’t use [name]Cher[/name], [name]Elton[/name], or [name]Madonna[/name]. They are sometime too tied to a specific image. However, I would love to meet a little Megara or [name]Perseus[/name].
I plan on using Athénaïs if I ever have a girl, some people say its pretentious but that doesn’t really bother me. I think its sad when people are considered pretentious based on their lifestyles or the names they use, etc but I know this is a misconception so maybe that’s why it doesn’t bother me.
Anyways use the name if you love it and don’t worry about what others think!
I am ok with people using god and godesses names. I don’t think it is pretentious, but I once met a [name]Zeus[/name], and, you know, that name pictures to me an old man, so I though that name was a little bit odd for a teenager (I was a tenageer too).
[name]One[/name] friend of mine named her little boy Jhune (as a form of [name]Juno[/name]). I used to be in a project named like that, so, I was already used to the name before [name]Juno[/name] the movie got released. I think that movie got that name into mainstream. So I don’t see any issue with using that name.
I think its something you have to be careful about depending on where you live. For example, if you lived somewhere with a lot of Hindus, naming your child after a Hindu god or goddess may not be a wise choice. I think Greek and [name]Roman[/name] names pretty much okay to use now, although a few, like [name]Zeus[/name], might get a lot of snickers. However, weirdly, I think I’d be less receptive to Norse mythology names. But, all in all, I’d say its not pretentious, just something to be careful about.
I worship the Greek Gods and Goddesses, and I don’t find it pretentious. I look at it as a way to honor which ever God or [name]Goddess[/name] you are naming the kid after. I’m going to use [name]Persephone[/name] to give honor for the [name]Spring[/name] growth she allows us to have. i would use [name]Athena[/name] and [name]Apollo[/name] but I think that might be a little much, so I’m using their symbols instead. I think it would be pretentious sounding if all the kids were named after Gods and Goddesses maybe.
I wouldn’t call these names pretentious necessarily, but I think some of them are a lot to live up to (i.e. [name]Zeus[/name]). But then there are others that have become more familiar ([name]Phoebe[/name], [name]Athena[/name]) and I think are sweet. I don’t mind the association with the stories, even if it’s a tragedy (which most have). And some like [name]Apollo[/name], [name]Atlas[/name] are unique but in my opinion not too much to wear.
I wouldn’t say that was disturbing. Though [name]Kali[/name] looks scary when pictured, you can see she has a hand mudra meaning “[name]Do[/name] not fear; I will protect you and goodness with replace evil”. Hindus may choose to worship [name]Kali[/name] because she represents the female side of Brahman/God. She is typically worshipped by shaktas (Hindus who worship the female representations of Brahman/God, with the exception of [name]Ganesh[/name]). Think of it as feminism.
Personally, I don’t think god or goddess names can be any more pretentious than wacky spellings. I love the names [name]Iris[/name], [name]Artemis[/name], [name]Freya[/name] and [name]Athena[/name]. But I think that people should consider the events attributed to the god/dess.
Not at all.
I should clarify.
I was thinking more along the lines Ancient Gods, you know, from Greek, [name]Roman[/name], Egyptian, and other cultures from the Ancient world, but I think the question is applicable to all Gods/Goddesses.
[name]Persephone[/name] is a top choice for me as well. I love [name]Athena[/name] and like [name]Apollo[/name].
[name]Olympia[/name]! That’s a big name, just like [name]Athena[/name]. I think it might put a bit of weight/pressure on a girl, no? Such as – is she like a goddess? I can imagine a few uncomfortable situations in middle school, maybe. Still, I like those names. [name]Ariadne[/name] is now more familiar thanks to the movie Inception (played by the actress who played [name]Juno[/name]! Lol). Some names are pretty common ([name]Daphne[/name]) and other are still rather ancient. You can always balance it with a softer or more traditional middle name! Interesting!