Empowering Baby Names from Greek Mythology Ancient Greek names with fancy meanings

Whether Odysseus, Artemis or Aphrodite – almost everyone has heard of these names and knows the stories that go with them, because these names come from Greek mythology. The Greek world of legends fascinates us with exciting stories about gods, goddesses, demigods, mythical creatures and monsters.

The works of Hesiod and Homer are the main sources of our mythological knowledge today. Their Odyssey, Iliad and Theogony give us a deep insight into the Greek mythological world.

Many names that appear in Greek mythology have special meanings. With such a name selection you are not only giving your baby virtues, but also a special story on their life path.
You will be surprised how many baby names have their origins in the Greek mythology. We have made a selection of the most beautiful names for boys and girls for you and want to take you into the world of gods and sagas while reading.

Greek Mythology Baby Girl Names

Aella was an Amazon warrior. The meaning of her name is “whirlwind”.
Aglaia is a daughter of Zeus and one of the three Charites. Her name means “beautiful”, “brilliant”, “splendid” and “shining one”.
Aletheia is the Greek goddess of truth and also means “disclosure”, “unconcealedness”, “revealing” and “unclosedness”.
Altea derived from the name Althaia and means “healing” or “healer”. She was the queen of Calydon.
Amaltheia was a nymph and the foster mother of Zeus, called “tender goddess”.
The name Ambrosia has the meaning “immortal”.
Andromeda was an Ethiopian princess and was saved by Perseus from being sacrificed to the sea monster Cetus.
The goddess of love, beauty and passion is called Aphrodite, she is one of the twelve Olympians.
Ariadne is the goddess of fertility. Her name means “most holy”. An other beautiful form of the name is Ariana.
The name Artemis probably means “safe”, “butcher” or “bear”. She was the Greek goddess of the moon and hunting.
“Rising sun” or “sunrise” - this is the meaning of Asia.
Asteria can also be seen in the sky, the name means “star” or “of the stars”.
Athena or Athene is the goddess of wisdom, handicraft and warfare. The names mean “divine intelligence” or “deity’s mind”.
Aura is the Greek goddess of the breezes and therefore means “breeze” or “soft wind”.
The meaning of the name Autonoë is unknown. In the Greek mythology, she was one of king Cadmus’ four daughters.
Briseis, also known as Hippodámeia, was the daughter of Briseus and thus means “daughter of Briseus”. The nice name Brisa derived from Briseis.
The mysterious meaning “she that conceals” or “she who hides” is behind the name Calypso, who is a nymph on the island of Ogygia with Odysseus as her prisoner and lover for seven years.
The name Cassandra presumably means “shining upon men”, “who fills men with love” or “catcher of men” and “entangler of men”. She was a Trojan princess, but no one believed her prophecies about the Trojan war.
Cassiopeia means “cassia juice”.
“Grace” and “kindness” - this are the meanings of Charis.
Chloe was an epithet of the Greek goddess Demeter. Her name means “blooming”, “fertility” and “green shoot”.
Circe is an enchantress which appears in Homer’s Odyssey.
Clio is a Latinized form of the Greek name Kleio. Both names have the meanings “glory” or “fame”.
In Greek mythology, Danaë was a lover of Zeus and the mother of Perseus. Her name has the meaning “of the Danaans”.
Daphne was a nymph who was turned into a laurel tree by her father Peneios, so her name means “laurel”.
“Man-destroyer” or “destroyer of her husband” is Deianeira.
Delia is an epithet of Artemis, a Greek goddess, who was born on the island of Delos. Therefore, the name Delia means “from Delos”.
Demeter is the earth mother in Greek mythology.
Despina is a modern form of Despoina, the daughter of Demeter and Poseidon.
Doris was a daughter of Oceanus and Tethys and therefore an Oceanid.
The nymph Elara is a symbol for “mother love”.
Electra is a Latinized variant of the name Elektra and has the meanings “amber”, “shining”, “incandescent” and “bright”.
Elpida and Elpis are the personification of “hope”.
“Warlike” is Enyo, she was a bloodthirsty goddess of war.
Euphrosyne is a daughter of Zeus. Her name means “mirth” and “merriment”.
Faina means “shining”, it is a form of Phaenna, one of the Charites.
And the “goddess of the earth” is Gaia.
Helen is the daughter of Zeus and Leda and was considered the most beautiful woman. Her name means “torch”, “beautiful”, “light”, “bright” and “shining”. There are several beautiful variants of the name Helen, e.g. Illeana or Jelka.
Hermione is in turn the daughter of Helen. The meaning of her name is “pile of stones” or “boundary maker”.
And Hestia was the goddess of the hearth and domestic activity in Greek mythology, so her name means “hearth” and “fireside”.
“Freer of horses” is Hippolyta, a daughter of Ares.
The name Ide stands for a “wooded hill”.
Ione is a sea nymph, her name means “violet flower”.
The eldest daughter of King Agamemnon was called Iphigenie. Her name means “of strong birth”. A nice short form of the name is Eni.
Iris has the beautiful meaning “rainbow”, she was a messenger of the gods.
Kalliope is one of the nine muses and has a “beautiful voice”.
“Most beautiful” is Kallisto, a lover of Zeus.
Lamia is a lover of Zeus. She is a cruel figure in Greek mythology, who kills and eats the children of other mothers. Her name means “throat” and “gullet”.
The name Larissa means “seamew”, “gull” or “lovely”.
In the Greek mythology, Leda is the daughter of King Thestius and Eurythemis. She was the wife of king Tyndareus of Sparta and lover of Zeus, who seduced her in the guise of a swan. She had the children Helen, Clytemnestra, Castor and Polydeuces.
Lethe was a daimona of oblivion and the daughter of Eris. Together with Aergia and Hesychia, Lethe protected the realm of Hypnos, the God of sleep. One of the five rivers of the underworld of Hades is named after her and people who drank waters of the Lethe forgot their memories. Therefore, Lethe means “oblivion” or “forgetfulness”, but as well “concealment”.
Lyssa is the mythological personification of mad rage, frenzy and fury. Thus, her name means “rage”, “fury”, “frenzy”, “anger” and “rabies”.
Maia was one of the seven Pleiades, her name means “midwife” and “foster mother”.
And the name Medea has the meanings “to think”, “to plan”, “to rule” and “wise”. She was a sorceress.
“Black” and “dark” is Melia, but the name also means “honey” and “ash tree”. She was one of the nymphs of the ash tree.
The names Meline and Melissa also have the meaning “honey”.
Memphis is the daughter of the river-god Neilos. Her name means “enduring beauty”.
Moira has the meaning “destiny” and “fate”. She was the personifications of destiny.
A “water nymph” is Naia.
Nais is a “river nymph”.
The Greek goddess of victory is Nike, thus her name means “victory”.
“A new beginning”, “goal” and “ambition” is the meaning of the name Nysa. She was the nursemaid of Dionysus.
Olympia is “from the mountain Olymp”. In the Greek mythology, Olymp is the home of the Greek Gods.
Pandora is “gifted by everyone”. She opened a box, releasing all evil spirits into the world.
Penelope is the faithful wife of Odysseus. Her name presumably means “pure”, “naked” or “duck”.
The goddess of dead, underworld and fertility is Persephone. Her name has the meaning “female thresher of grain”, but also “destroying murderer”.
Phyllis was a Greek princess, who killed herself out of love. She was transformed into a leafless almond tree, which was foliated after her love embraced her. Therefore, her name means “foliage”.
The name Rhea has the meaning “flowing” or “flowing stream”. She was the daughter of Gaia and Uranus and the mother of Zeus as well as of Hades, Hera, Demeter, Hestia and Poseidon.
A “moon goddess” is Selene.
The name Sibyl means “seer” and “oracle”.
Sirena and Sirene have the meaning “enchanter”. The sirens were creatures, who lured sailors with their enchanting singing to shipwreck on the coast.
And Thalassa means “sea”. She was the mother of all tribes of fish.
Thalia is one of the nine Muses of comedy and poetry. Her name means “flourishing”.
The goddess of astronomy and astrology is Urania. Her name means “heaven” and “heavenly”.
The name Xanthe stands for “fair hair”. This name is found in Greek mythology several times.
And the name Zelia has the meanings “jealous” or “eager”.

Greek Mythology Baby Boy Names

In Greek mythology, Achilles was the bravest and most important hero in the war against the Trojans. His name means “he whose people have distress” and “he who has the people distressed” or “thin-lipped”.
Adonis was the God of of beauty, desire and vegetation and a lover of the Greek goddess Aphrodite. His name has the meaning “lord”.
The name Agathon has the beautiful meaning “good”.
“Manly”, “masculine” and “brave” is Andros.
Anthonin and Anton are “of inestimable worth”.
Apollon is in the Greek mythology a son of Zeus and Leto and the twin brother of Artemis. His name presumably means “to destroy”, “averter of evil”, “not many” or “always shooting”.
Ares was a bloodthirsty God of war and massacre, so his name has the meanings “ruin” and “bane”.
Artemis is a name for boys and girls, which means “safe”, “butcher” or “bear”.
In Greek mythology, Atlas was a titan, who was doomed by Zeus to carry the heavens on his shoulders, so his name has the meanings “to endure” or “to suffer”.
“Fearless” is Atréju.
Chares means “grace” and “kindness”.
Dionysos is a son of Zeus and the god of of the grape-harvest, of wine, of fertility and fruit, vegetation, insanity and ritual madness.
Eros is the god of love.
The god of the underworld and the king of the dead is called Hades. His name appropriately means “invisible” and “unseen”.
Hektor was one of the Trojan heroes who fought against the Greeks. His name means “holding fast”.
“Sun, “sunlight” and “sunshine”: Helios.
Hercules was a son of Zeus and the “glory of Hera”.
The messenger god is called Hermes.
Hyakinthos was a lover of the God Apollo. His name means “hyacinth flower”.
Icarus was the son of Daedalus, who came too close to the sun with his father’s self-made wings, whereupon the wax melted and he fell into the sea.
And Ion was the ancestor of the Ionians.
Laios is the king of Thebes and father of Oedipus.
The name Leto means “the hidden one” or “the forgotten one”.
Linos was the son of Apollo. His name means “lamentation”, “personification of lamentation” and “flax”.
The name Minos means “king”. He was a son of Europa and Zeus and a king of Crete.
Myles is in Greek mythology the king of Laconia.
The “God of the sea” is Narius.
Narziss fell in love with his own mirror image and was turned into a narcissus flower after his death, so his name means “narcissus flower”.
The name Odysseus has the meanings “wrathful” and “hateful”.
Orion, the well known constellation, was named after the giant Greek huntsman Orion. The name possibly means “boundary”, “heaven’s light” or “son of light”.
Pan is the god of the wild and nature and his name means “shepherd” or “protector”.
The name Phileas has the beautiful meanings “friend” or “lover”.
Phineus was a seer and king at Salmydessus in Thrace and the husband of Cleopatra.
“Of inestimable worth” is Toni.
Ulysses is a Latin variant of Odysseus and means “wrathful” and “hateful”.
Xanthos stands for “fair hair”.
And Zephyr is in Greek mythology the God of the west wind, so his name means “the west wind”.
The highest god of Mount Olympus is Zeus. He is the ruler of sky, lightning and thunder.