Ajax? Apollo? or Atlas? Public Domain/WikipediaAn American parenting website has gone crazy for Greek names, giving its thousands of readers the most popular names from Greek mythology for their newborn baby.
The Babycenter blog recently listed names for boys and girls which hark back to the mythology of ancient Greece, “the birthplace of Western civilization”.
“The ancient Greeks left a legacy of new ideas about science, art and philosophy,” Babycenter writes, adding: “Their influence can still be felt today, and that even extends to baby names! Many modern names, such as Sophia and Alexander, have their origins in ancient Greece.”
The cast of gods and goddesses of Roman and Greek myth, as well as numerous other societies, incidentally offers a treasure trove of baby name ideas. From Athena to Zeus, you might just find a perfect name for your phenomenal new baby.
Greek mythology names for baby girls
Among the girls’ names recommended by the website are:
, and warfare. She’s best known for her spectacular birth, which, legend tells, involved her leaping out of Zeus’s head, fully armed.</p>
<p><strong>Circe</strong>, daughter of Helios, god of the sun. She specialized in potions, spells, and magical herbs, which she often used to turn her enemies into animals.</p>
<p><strong>Gaia</strong> is a name that means “earth” in ancient Greek. She is the goddess of the planet Earth, thought to personify earth itself, and she’s considered to be the ancestral mother of all life.</p>
<p><strong>Hera, </strong>the ancient goddess, is considered to be the queen of the gods. Married to Zeus, she was considered the god of and ruler over marriage, family, women, and childbirth.</p>
<p><strong>Persephone </strong>is the Greek goddess of spring’s bounty. She is the wife of the god Hades, and thus queen of the underworld for the winter months. Each time Persephone returns to Earth, she brings spring with her flowering meadows and the growth of crops.</p>
<h3>Greek mythology names for baby boys</h3>
<p><strong>Ajax </strong>was a formidable warrior in the Trojan War, named in his time, it’s said, after an eagle sent from Zeus as a sign of Ajax’s impending birth. This hero appears in Homer’s epic novel The Iliad as well as in Shakespeare’s play Troilus and Cressida.</p>
<p><strong>Apollo</strong> is the name of a Roman and Greek god of sun, light, music, and poetry, as well as medicine and healing. This god’s figure is perhaps best recognized as a stunning statue carved from stone, wearing only a laurel leaf.</p>
<p><strong>Atlas </strong>was a primordial Titan (pre-Olympian) god of astronomy who was forced by the god Zeus to eternally hold the sky on his shoulders. The world maps we all used before Google came along are called Atlas maps, in honor of this very god</p>
<p><strong>Leander </strong>means “lion man” in Greek. While not a god, Leander features prominently in a mythical love story that ends tragically – although Leander and his true love, Hero, a priestess of Aphrodite, end up together in eternity.</p>
<p><strong>Zeus </strong>is the most renowned as the highest of the high Greek mythological gods. Zeus ruled the sky from his perch on Mount Olympus and controlled the weather, wielding thunderbolts as his weapon of choice. This powerful and literally lofty name is made all the more appealing by its one syllable with decisive zip.</p>
<p>Recently, Arnold Schwarzenegger conquered social media in the runup to the Super Bowl, with an Instagram post he made with himself portraying the Greek god of thunder.</p>
<p>In the post, Schwarzenegger has golden hair and a golden beard and sports burnished golden armor. The skies behind him are angry, with dark blue clouds and lightning striking the earth.</p>
<p>For more recommendations inspired by ancient Greece watch the following video:</p>
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