[name_m]Hi[/name_m]! I’m [name_f]Rowena[/name_f] and I’m new to nameberry. I’m having a daughter next year and one of the serious names on my list is [name_f]Persephone[/name_f]. I fell in love with it as soon as I learned how to say it, not really knowing much about it. My mom is very close minded when it comes to names and does not agree with my more adventurous name style. I’ve been a fantasy lover and have had my head up in the clouds since I was a little girl, and I want my name choice to be dripping with magic! She keeps saying that she doesn’t like [name_f]Persephone[/name_f] because it’s “weird” and “has an evil meaning”, even though she doesn’t know much about it herself. I’m not letting her keep me from choosing the name I want, whether it ends up being [name_f]Persephone[/name_f] or some other name on my list, but I do want to be fully informed for when or if I have to deal with people like her. I’ve been viewing the forums for a while, and people here seem to know what they’re talking about. So can someone help me out? I need to know the story and meaning behind [name_f]Persephone[/name_f] if anyone doesn’t mind taking the time to tell me. 
Well… the meaning is “bringer of destruction,” I hate to be the bearer of bad news. She was the daughter of [name_m]Zeus[/name_m] and [name_u]Demeter[/name_u] in Greek mythology. Hades stole her and made her the queen of the underworld. So, your mother is sort of right, although I still think it has a gorgeous sound. And [name_f]Persephone[/name_f] was described as being beautiful.
[name_f]Persephone[/name_f] (also known as [name_f]Kore[/name_f]) was the goddess of vegetation. Hades fell in love with her, but was repeatedly denied by her. Hades eventually trapped her in the underworld by tempting her with a pomegranate seed (because she’s the goddess of vegetation, and she’s a sucker for those things, right?)… [name_m]Long[/name_m] story short, [name_f]Persephone[/name_f] becomes the [name_f]Queen[/name_f] of the underworld.
I love old greek names myself, you can search nameberry for other Greek names from their mythology. [name_f]Hera[/name_f] and [name_f]Juno[/name_f] are just a few other good gems.
I love it. It would be worthwhile thinking about nicknames you could use - or that others might use whether you like it or not. It is very unusual but I’m sure people would get used to it and learn to say it in full. I know a [name_f]Stephanie[/name_f] and everyone usually uses her full name - I’m sure that if people can cope with [name_f]Stephanie[/name_f] of three syllables, they could stretch to the similar, four-syllable name of [name_f]Persephone[/name_f], given time and practice.
I’m aware of [name_f]Persephone[/name_f]'s basic story, and I don’t mind the dark undertones the name has (I find it interesting). But I’m looking for a more detailed description of the name. I’ve looked into the name before and I was really interested in how she’s connected to spring and stuff, but there was a lot of different stories, meanings, and origins in the what I was reading (I was getting most of my information from Wikipedia), and it got a little confusing. I was hoping to get the full story from someone who truly knows what they are talking about. Thanks for taking the time to reply!
[name_f]Persephone[/name_f] has disputed meanings. Some say that it means ‘bringer of death’ while others say that it is related to ‘sound’ or ‘Persian speaker’. Basically it’s like [name_f]Katherine[/name_f], unknown meaning, you can interpret it how you want. The goddess [name_f]Persephone[/name_f] was also known as [name_f]Kore[/name_f] which means maiden.
In Greek mythology, [name_f]Persephone[/name_f] is the goddess of springtime growth, if I am not mistaken. She is the daughter of [name_m]Zeus[/name_m] and [name_u]Demeter[/name_u], and she was kidnapped by Hades and to became his bride. Her mother [name_u]Demeter[/name_u] became so distraught that she abandoned her duties of the harvest, causing winter. [name_m]Zeus[/name_m] ordered Hades to return [name_f]Persephone[/name_f], but because she ate pomegranate seeds, she was not able to leave the underworld. [name_m]Zeus[/name_m] cut a deal so that [name_f]Persephone[/name_f] could come up from the underworld to visit her mother for a certain amount of time, and when she would her mother would become so happy that plants would bloom (aka spring) but when she would have to return, [name_u]Demeter[/name_u] would become so depressed that nothing would grow.
I know some of the other berries know more about this than me, and hopefully they will post. Dantea is a Hellenic pagan and knows all about this stuff, and she named her daughter [name_f]Persephone[/name_f] so she will know all about it.
I myself love [name_f]Persephone[/name_f] too, it’s on my list. I think it is fun and has a lot of nickname options (My favorite being [name_u]Percy[/name_u]). I’m sure once your mother meets your child, she will come to love her name no matter what because of how much she loves the baby. She got to name her kids, you get to name yours. I hope that helped. Congrats and good luck!
kisa and banomi: Thank you! I like [name_f]Juno[/name_f], but I have a cousin who goes by [name_m]Junior[/name_m] and an aunt [name_u]June[/name_u], so it would feel kind of weird. I’m not big on nicknames, unless I really love the possible nickname, but I realize that people would probably shorten it at times. So I’ve been thinking maybe [name_f]Posey[/name_f], Sephie, or [name_u]Percy[/name_u]. 
Thanks so much! This is very helpful.
[name_f]Posey[/name_f] is a cute nickname