How to Give Your Baby a Greek Name

Many Greek names stem from mythology - Persephone, Athena, Adonis and Aphrodite. Do you want a strong name for your child, an intelligent name, or a name synonymous with beauty? The steps below will give you the meanings and spellings of some Greek names.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Baby Names
• Genealogy Books
• Internet Access
• Computers
• Genealogy Software

1. Choose a name that symbolizes love: Philana for a girl or Philo for a boy. Erasmus for a boy means lovable, and Erastus means beloved.

2. Select a name that means intelligence and wisdom. For a girl, Athena means wise. For a boy, Euclid means intelligent.

3. Opt for a positive, happy name. For girls, Helena means bright one, Kay means rejoicer and Phaedra means bright. For boys, Dionysus means celebration.

4. Decide on a name synonymous with good looks. For girls, try Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty, or Callista, which means most beautiful. For boys, Adonis means highly attractive. In Greek mythology, Adonis was loved by Aphrodite.

5. Go for a strong name. For girls, Pernalla means rock, and Alexandra means defender of humankind. The male version is Alexander, or Zander. Nike, for boys, means victorious; Nicos or Nicholas means victorious people; Platon means broad-shouldered.

6. Keep in mind virtuous names. For girls, Athena means wise, Katina means pure, and Ariadne and Olga mean holy. For boys, Diogenes means honest, Constantinos means firm or constant, and Eustace means productive.

Tips & Warnings

• Keep in mind that these names come from various parts of the country and can be derived from different cultures. The spellings and meaning may vary slightly from region to region - check with your family or other resources if this is important in naming your child.

on 11/22/2005 Almost all characters in Greek mythology and quite a few in history either comitted or were on the receiving end of unspeakable acts (usually rape or murder), or both. So find out before you use a Classical Greek name by looking in a classical dictionary or on the internet.

on 11/22/2005 Only the first born male is named for the paternal grandfather. The second born male is named for the maternal grandfather. Example, my father was named Kyriakos for his father's father, and his brother was named Spiridon for his mother's father. The third son was named for the father's oldest brother. This is not a hard and fast rule anymore.

Girls were often named likewise for the paternal and maternal grandmothers.

on 11/22/2005 If the father is Greek, you should name the child after his father's parents. Hence the joke in the movie "My Big Fat Greek Wedding." All the cousins were Nick's, Nico's, Nicky's, Nicole's, Nikolai's, Nikki's, and Nicholas's. As cousins, they share the same grandparents!

on 11/22/2005 Before naming your baby Phaedra, as suggested above, read Euripides' play "Hippolytus" and reconsider.