As we all know there are names that have such heavy associations they are probably best left alone and not used. For example like Zeus, Aphrodite, or Cleopatra.
With that being said, I see people say they think “Mythology names are weird”, “____ is too over-ambitious” or even avoid certain divinity/deity names for that reason. Though others may see those names as cool, and bada*s.
Do you think God/Goddess names are weird, over-ambitious, or does it really depend on the name? What’s your opinion on it overall?
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I think they’re fine. I really like names from mythology. I’m sure there are some that seem a bit too extravagant, but generally speaking, they’re usable
maybe names with unideal associations (like Zeus or Hades) wouldn’t work. but honestly if you wanna use them, that’s fine
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I think it really depends on the name. If they have heavy associations with death/violence/sex or other very “adult” concepts, then I think it’s kind of a bad idea, but some of them I think are perfectly fine.
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I think generally they are usable. However, I would avoid using deity names from current religions or cultures which you are not a part of.
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I agree with this entirely. I may be sharing an unpopular opinion, but to me this includes “mythology” names unless you’re from the culture of origin and/or you are pagan.
“Mythology” is an important part of and informs pagan religions. Ancient deities have active worshippers and people who still work with them.
As an example, I’m as uncomfortable with a non-pagan or Greek person naming their child after a Greek god as with any other “improperly” applied religious name. I am devoutly pagan, if it makes a difference to the discussion.
But that’s just my opinion, and I recognize there’s room for other interpretation.
TLDR: Mythology names aren’t weird, but they can be borderline cultural appropriation.
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I love them! My favorite boy name is Osiris 
sure some can be over the top but there’s nothing wrong with that, the only thing that might make me hesitant is if the god/deity was more of a bad association in mythology, say Kronos, as cool of a name as it is I wouldn’t want the name of a god who ate his children on my list. But overall I love them
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I think it really depends on the name/deity. [name_f]Athena[/name_f], for example, has very positive associations for most people. Names like [name_f]Flora[/name_f], [name_f]Diana[/name_f], both goddesses in [name_m]Roman[/name_m] mythology, are likely far removed from their deity-status due to their long history of usage around the world.
Hades would be quite difficult to wear as its (wrongfully) negative associations have kept the name from being used and therefore the ties to mythology are still very present as they are the only association for most people.
Over-ambitious - I don’t know. I think there are some names that would come off that way, but more due their length or them being quite complicated rather than their association (unless we’re talking about the ones you listed above).
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Personally I love them and would definitely use a couple!
[name_m]Achilles[/name_m]
[name_m]Adonis[/name_m]
[name_m]Apollo[/name_m]
[name_m]Ares[/name_m]
Hermès
[name_m]Hercules[/name_m]
Midas
[name_m]Zeus[/name_m]
Titan/Titus
[name_m]Perseus[/name_m]
[name_m]Eros[/name_m]
[name_f]Athena[/name_f]
[name_u]Artemis[/name_u]
[name_f]Hera[/name_f]
[name_f]Hestia[/name_f]
[name_f]Selene[/name_f]
[name_f]Juno[/name_f]
[name_f]Venus[/name_f]
[name_f]Minerva[/name_f]
[name_u]Nyx[/name_u]
are all usable in my opinion as long as you love the name🥰
Less usable ones like Hades and [name_f]Hecate[/name_f] probably not because of known negative associations
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Depends a little on the name. For example, [name_f]Diana[/name_f] was so common that its not odd at all. Generally though they are very powerful sounding names so the more obscure ones don’t work for me because they just seem to be too much. Somewhere between trying too hard to be cool and actually being too cool. Of course you might name your daughter [name_f]Venus[/name_f] and she grows up to be a sports superstar so its not always too much!
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I wonder if you never meet these people and they never meet you what difference it makes?
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I guess it depends on the name, but personally, I see no real difference between choosing a mythological name and choosing a Biblical name, for example. Some are already very common, like [name_f]Diana[/name_f] (which a few posters mentioned). In Irish culture, mythological names are very common too.
[name_m]Zeus[/name_m] isn’t a name I would choose myself, but I’ve met a [name_m]Zeus[/name_m] (I’m not sure which culture he came from, but he wasn’t a native [name_f]English[/name_f] speaker) and the name was wearable for him (tall guy with olive skin).
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Like others have said, some have entered the general consensus of names so people no longer think “goddess” when they see it, they just think “name” (Diana, Freya) so those aren’t weird at all.
Many are in the “not weird, but weirdly ambitious” category for me, like [name_f]Athena[/name_f] and [name_u]Artemis[/name_u], but then again so are [name_f]Penelope[/name_f] or [name_u]Thaddeus[/name_u], so it’s not really about them being deities, they’re just a lot of name with a lot of history to bear.
The ones very tied to the myth would be a no-go for me, simply because that makes it a one-person-name. But that applies to [name_m]Moses[/name_m] just as much as it does to [name_m]Zeus[/name_m], so it’s not really about them being a god either.
What category a name falls into is obviously up to debate. I could imagine putting [name_f]Penelope[/name_f] in the first one and [name_f]Freya[/name_f] not.
I wouldn’t have thought of what @itsjustjack said on my own but he’s right! Borrowing from mythology requires the same sensitivity as borrowing from any other form of culture that’s not your own.
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[name_m]Moses[/name_m] is not a deity name. And while it is considered very old-fashioned, there are still plenty of Jews named [name_m]Moshe[/name_m] in honor of him.
That’s what I was trying to say. “Zeus is out, because it’s a one-person-name for me, but so is [name_m]Moses[/name_m], so it has nothing to do with [name_m]Zeus[/name_m] being a god.”
[name_m]Ah[/name_m], gotcha.
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