Greek Names — Origins, Meanings & History

Damon Masculine English Greek English Greek

Damon is a masculine given name of Greek origin, deriving from the Greek name Δάμων (Damōn), which itself comes from the verb δαμάζω (damazo) meaning "to tame, subdue, conquer." The name carries connotations of strength...

Danaë Feminine Greek Greek

Danaë is a feminine name of Greek origin, best known from classical mythology. In Greek myth, Danaë was the daughter of King Acrisius of Argos. It had been prophesied to her father that he would be killed by his daughter...

Danaos Masculine Greek Greek

Etymology Danaos is the original Greek form of Danaus, a name of unknown meaning, possibly of pre-Greek origin. The name is deeply rooted in Greek mythology, where Danaus (Δαναός) was a legendary king of Libya who later...

Danaus Masculine Greek Greek

Danaus is a Latinized form of the Greek name Δαναός (Danaos), whose meaning is obscure and likely of pre-Greek origin. In Greek mythology, Danaus was a king of Libya who fled with his fifty daughters, the Danaids, to Arg...

Daphne Feminine Dutch English +1 Dutch English Greek

Daphne (DAFF-nee) is a female given name of Greek origin, meaning "laurel" in Greek. In Greek mythology, Daphne was a nymph, the daughter of the river god Peneus (or Ladon in some accounts). She was pursued by the god Ap...

Dardanos Masculine Greek Greek

Dardanos is a name of Greek origin, rooted in ancient mythology. It derives from the Greek verb δαρδάπτω (dardapto), meaning "to devour." In Greek mythology, Dardanos was a son of Zeus and Electra, and he is credited wit...

Deianeira Feminine Greek Greek

Deianeira is a Greek name of mythological significance, derived from the elements deioo meaning "to slay" and aner (man), rendering the meaning "man-destroyer" or "destroyer of her husband." The name is the Greek form of...

Deianira Feminine Greek Greek

Deianira (or Deianeira) is a Calydonian princess of Greek mythology whose name has been interpreted as "man-destroyer" or "destroyer of her husband." The name is derived from the Greek elements δηιόω (deioo), meaning "to...

Deimos Masculine Greek Greek

Deimos is a masculine name of Greek origin, meaning "terror". In Greek mythology, Deimos was one of the sons of the war god Ares, embodying the spirit of terror and dread that accompanies conflict. His twin brother, Phob...

Deiphobos Masculine Greek Greek

Deiphobos is the Latinized form of the Greek name Δηΐφοβος (Dēḯphobos), derived from the Greek elements δήϊος (deios) meaning "hostile, destructive" and φόβος (phobos) meaning "fear, panic." Thus the name translates to "...

Delia 1 Feminine English Italian +3 English Italian Romanian Spanish Greek

Delia is a feminine given name used in English, Italian, Romanian, Spanish, and Greek. It means "of Delos" in Greek. This was an epithet of the Greek goddess Artemis, given because she and her twin brother Apollo were bo...

Demeter 1 Feminine Greek Greek

Demeter is the Greek goddess of agriculture, grain, and the harvest. Her name is typically interpreted as meaning "earth mother," derived from the Greek elements da (earth) and meter (mother). As one of the twelve Olympi...

Demophon Masculine Greek Ancient Greek Greek Ancient Greek

Etymology and MeaningDemophon is a masculine given name of Greek origin. It is derived from the Greek elements δῆμος (demos) meaning "the people" and φωνή (phone) meaning "voice," thus translating to "voice of the people...

Despoina Feminine Greek Greek Greek Greek

EtymologyDespoina (Greek: Δέσποινα, Déspoina) is a Greek feminine name meaning "mistress, lady". It derives from the Greek word despoina, which is the feminine form of despotēs ("master, lord"). The first element of the...

Dido Feminine Greek Roman Greek Roman

Dido (pronounced DY-doh; Latin: [ˈdiːdoː]; Greek: Διδώ [diːdɔ̌ː]), also known as Elissa, is the legendary founder and first queen of Carthage in Greek and Roman mythology. Her name is of uncertain meaning but likely Phoe...

Dike Feminine Greek Greek

Dike is the Greek goddess of justice, moral order, and fair judgment, one of the Ὥραι (Horai), the daughters of Zeus and Themis. Her name derives from the Greek word dikē (δίκη), meaning "justice, custom, order." In clas...

Diomedes Masculine Greek Greek

Diomedes is one of the greatest heroes of Greek mythology, renowned for his prowess in the Trojan War and his subsequent adventures in Italy. The name is of Greek origin, derived from Διός (Dios) meaning "of Zeus" and μή...

Dione 1 Feminine Greek Greek

Dione is a Greek feminine name derived from the genitive form of Zeus, specifically Dios (Διός), meaning "of Zeus." By extension, the name also carries the meaning "goddess" or "the goddess." In Greek mythology, Dione is...

Dionysos Masculine Greek Greek

Dionysos is the Greek name of the god of wine, revelry, fertility, and dance, central to ancient Greek religion and myth. Its etymology combines Dios, meaning "of Zeus," with Nysa, the mythical region where the infant Di...

Dionysus Masculine Greek Greek

Name of the Greek God of Wine Dionysus is the Latin form of the Greek name Dionysos, the name of the god of wine, revelry, fertility, and theatre in ancient Greek mythology. The name's etymology is traditionally derived...

Dirce Feminine Portuguese Greek Portuguese Greek

EtymologyDirce is the Latinized form of the Greek name Dirke (Δίρκη), possibly meaning "cleft" or "broken in two." The name is rooted in Greek mythology and is associated with the river-god Achelous or Ismenus as her fat...

Dirke Feminine Greek Greek

Dirke is the Greek form of Dirce, a name rooted in the mythological traditions of ancient Greece. The name Dirce itself is derived from the Greek Δίρκη (Dirke), which may carry the ominous meaning of "cleft" or "broken i...

Doris Feminine Croatian Danish +6 Croatian Danish English German Spanish +3

Doris is a feminine given name derived from the Greek name Δωρίς (Doris), meaning "Dorian woman." The Dorians were one of the major ancient Greek tribes, known for settling the Peloponnese around the 12th century BC duri...

Echidna Feminine Greek Greek

Echidna means "viper, snake" in Greek, derived from a variant of ἔχις (echis). In Greek mythology, Echidna was a fearsome monster, half-woman and half-snake, who inhabited a cave and terrorized travelers. She is often ca...

Echo Feminine Greek Greek

Echo is a feminine name derived from the Greek word ἠχώ (echo) meaning "echo, reflected sound", which is related to ἠχή (eche) meaning "sound". In Greek mythology, Echo was a beautiful mountain nymph who was cursed by He...

Eileithyia Feminine Greek Greek

Eileithyia is the Greek form of Ilithyia, derived from the Ancient Greek Eiλείθυια, meaning "the readycomer." In Greek mythology, she was the goddess of childbirth and midwifery, a role that made her both revered and inv...

Eirene Feminine Greek Ancient Greek Greek Ancient Greek

Eirene is the original Ancient Greek form of the name Irene, derived from the Greek word εἰρήνη (eirēnē) meaning "peace." In Greek mythology, Eirene was the goddess and personification of peace, one of the Ὥραι (Horae),...

Elara Feminine Greek Greek

Elara is a name of Greek origin with a dual connection to both classical mythology and modern astronomy. In Greek mythology, Elara was a mortal princess who became a lover of Zeus, the supreme god of the Greek pantheon....

Electra Feminine Greek Greek

Electra is a Latinized form of the Greek name Ἠλέκτρα (Elektra), which derives from ἤλεκτρον (elektron), meaning "amber". In Greek mythology, Electra is best known as the daughter of King Agamemnon and Queen Clytemnestra...

Elektra Feminine Greek Greek

Elektra is the Greek form of Electra. The name derives from Greek ἤλεκτρον (elektron), meaning "amber" and by extension "shining" or "incandescent." This luminous imagery links it with names such as Lucy and Svetlana, wh...

Elpis Feminine Greek Ancient Greek Greek Ancient Greek

Elpis is a feminine name of Greek origin, meaning "hope". In Greek mythology, Elpis was the personification of hope. She is most famously associated with the story of Pandora, the first mortal woman created by the gods....

Endymion Masculine Greek Greek

Endymion is a name of Greek origin, derived from the Ancient Greek verb ἐνδύω (endyo), meaning "to dive into" or "to enter." The name is best known from Greek mythology, where Endymion was a handsome Aeolian mortal—vario...

Enyo Feminine Greek Greek

Enyo is a Greek war goddess, whose name carries an uncertain meaning. She was closely associated with Ares, the bloodthirsty god of war, and frequently accompanied him into battle, delighting in the destruction of cities...

Eos Feminine Greek Greek

Eos is the ancient Greek goddess and personification of the dawn. Her name means "dawn" in Greek, derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *hausos-, which also gave rise to the Roman Aurora and the Vedic Ushas. In Greek...

Epaphos Masculine Greek Greek

Epaphos is the original Greek form of Epaphus, derived from the Greek word epaphe meaning "touch." In Greek mythology, Epaphos was a king of Egypt, the son of Zeus and Io. His conception occurred when Zeus touched Io wit...

Epaphus Masculine Greek Greek

EtymologyEpaphus is derived from Greek ἐπαφή (epaphe) meaning "touch." According to mythology, the name refers to the manner of his conception: Zeus impregnated Io by touching her with his hand.Mythological Role and Fami...

Epimetheus Masculine Greek Greek

Epimetheus is a Greek masculine name derived from the Greek word ἐπιμήθεια (epimetheia), meaning “hindsight, hindthought.” In Greek mythology, Epimetheus was one of the Titans, son of Iapetus, and brother of Prometheus....

Erato Feminine Greek Greek

Erato is one of the nine Muses in Greek mythology, specifically the muse of lyric poetry, particularly erotic poetry. Her name means "lovely" or "desired" in Greek, derived from the same root as Eros, the god of love. Th...

Erebos Masculine Greek Greek

Erebos is the Greek form of Erebus, the primordial deity and personification of darkness in Greek mythology. The name derives from the Ancient Greek word Ἔρεβος (Érebos), meaning "nether darkness" or "gloom," specificall...

Erebus Masculine Greek Greek

Erebus is the Latinized form of the Greek Ἔρεβος (Erebos), meaning "nether darkness". In Greek mythology, Erebus is the personification of primordial darkness, one of the first entities to exist according to early cosmog...

Eris Feminine Greek Greek

Eris is the Greek goddess of strife and discord, whose name directly means "strife, discord" in ancient Greek. In Greek mythology, she was the daughter of Nyx (Night) and the sister and companion of Ares, the god of war....

Eros Masculine Italian Greek Italian Greek

Eros is the Greek god of love and sex, whose name directly means "love" in Greek. In Greek mythology, he was a young god, the son of Aphrodite, armed with arrows that caused anyone struck to fall in love. The Romans iden...

Euadne Feminine Greek Greek

Euadne is a Greek name, a direct transliteration of the Ancient Greek Εὐάδνη, and a variant of Evadne. The name combines the prefix εὖ (eu), meaning "good", with the possible Cretan Greek element ἀδνός (adnos), meaning "...

Euandros Masculine Greek Greek

Euandros is the Greek form of Evander 1, derived from the Greek name Εὔανδρος (Euandros), meaning "good of man" from εὖ (eu) "good" and ἀνήρ (aner) "man." Etymology The name Euandros is composed of two Ancient Greek elem...

Euanthe Feminine Greek Ancient Greek Greek Ancient Greek

Euanthe is a name from Greek and ancient Greek origins, derived from the Greek word εὐανθής (euanthes), meaning "blooming, flowery." This poetic name is composed of the elements εὖ (eu), meaning "good," and ἄνθος (anthos...

Euboea Feminine Greek Greek

Euboea is a Latinized form of the Greek name Euboia. It is primarily known as the ancient name for the large Greek island in the Aegean Sea, now called Evia, but in classical mythology it also appears as a feminine perso...

Euboia Feminine Greek Greek

Euboia is a feminine name of Greek origin, derived from the elements εὖ (eu) meaning "good" and βοῦς (bous) meaning "ox, cow," thus "good ox." The name also appears in a Latinized form, Euboea.Mythological BackgroundIn G...

Eudora Feminine Greek Greek

Eudora is a feminine given name of Greek origin, meaning "good gift" from the elements εὖ (eu) meaning "good" and δῶρον (doron) meaning "gift". In Greek mythology, Eudora was the name of a nymph, one of the Hyades, who w...

Eunomia Feminine Greek Greek

Eunomia (Ancient Greek: Εὐνομία) is a feminine given name of Greek origin, derived from the elements eu meaning "good" and nomos meaning "law, custom." The name thus means "good order" or "governance according to good la...

Euphrosyne Feminine Greek Greek

Euphrosyne is a feminine given name of Greek origin, derived from the Ancient Greek word εὐφροσύνη (euphrosynē), meaning "mirth, merriment, cheerfulness". The name is formed from the elements εὖ (eu), meaning "good," and...

Europa Feminine Greek Greek

Europa is a female name derived from Greek mythology, originating from the Ancient Greek Εὐρώπη (Eurṓpē). The name is composed of the elements eurys meaning "wide" and ops meaning "face, eye," giving it the literal meani...

Europe Feminine Greek Greek

Europe is a Greek feminine name, directly taken from the continent of the same name. It is the Greek form of Europa, a figure from Greek mythology. The name traces further back to the Greek elements εὐρύς (eurys) meaning...

Euryalos Masculine Greek Greek

Euryalos is the Greek form of Euryalus. The name derives from the Greek elements eurys meaning "broad" and -alos probably meaning "wandering" or "sea", though the latter is uncertain. In classical literature, it is borne...

Euryalus Masculine Greek Roman Greek Roman

Euryalus is a name of Greek origin borne by several figures in Greek mythology and classical literature. It derives from the Greek name Εὐρύαλος (Euryalos), meaning "broad" or "wide." The name appears in various mytholog...

Eurydice Feminine Greek Greek

Eurydice is a feminine name of Greek origin, famously borne in Greek mythology by the wife of the musician Orpheus. The name derives from the Greek Εὐρυδίκη (Eurydike), composed of the elements eurys meaning "wide" and d...

Eurydike Feminine Greek Greek

Eurydike is the Greek form of Eurydice, a name from Greek mythology. The name is derived from the Greek elements εὐρύς (eurys) meaning "wide" and δίκη (dike) meaning "justice, custom, order", giving the overall meaning o...

Eurystheus Masculine Greek Greek

Eurystheus is a Greek name derived from εὐρύς (eurys) meaning "wide" and a contracted form of σθένος (sthenos) meaning "strength", thus translating to "broad strength". In Greek mythology, Eurystheus was the king of Tiry...

Euterpe Feminine Greek Greek

Euterpe is a feminine name of Greek origin, ultimately derived from the Ancient Greek elements εὖ (eu) meaning "good" and τέρπω (terpo) meaning "to satisfy, to cheer", thus rendering the overall meaning as "delight" or "...

Evadne Feminine Greek Greek

Evadne is a feminine name of Greek origin, borne by several figures in Greek mythology. The name is derived from Greek Εὐάδνη (Euadne), which likely combines the prefix εὖ (eu) meaning "good" with the Cretan Greek elemen...

Evander 1 Masculine Greek Roman Greek Roman

Evander 1 is a masculine given name of Greek and Roman origin. It is a variant of Evandrus, the Latin form of the Greek name Εὔανδρος (Euandros), which means "good of man". This meaning is derived from the Greek elements...