Amalthea

Greek

"tender goddess"

Amalthea Origin and Meaning

The name Amalthea is a girl's name meaning "tender goddess".

In Greek mythology, Amalthea is the name of a goat (or, sometimes, a goat-keeping nymph) who nursed the infant Zeus and protected him from his murderous father, Cronus. Thanks to the goat’s protection and nourishment, Zeus grew up to overthrow Cronus.

The constellation Capra (meaning "she-goat") is believed to represent Amalthea, and one of Jupiter’s moons also bears her name.

In Peter S. Beagle’s fantasy novel The Last Unicorn, Amalthea is the name of the protagonist (the unicorn) in her human form. The character was played in the 1982 animated film adaptation by Mia Farrow.

Popularity of the name Amalthea

• 1850 Nameberry 2023

20 Names Similar to Amalthea

These 20 names were selected by our users that were looking for other names like Amalthea.

• Amarantha
• Thalassa
• Calanthe
• Vespera
• Cyrene
• Leto
• Artemesia
• Cybele
• Nereida
• Megaera
• Diantha
• Ophira
• Nerida
• Sylvana
• Lucine
• Ilithyia
• Iolanthe
• Endora
• Arianwen
• Amoret

The name Amalthea in Pop Culture

• Amalthea the name the unicorn uses while in her human form in Peter S. Beagle's "The Last Unicorn"