Phrynia

FRIE-nee-uh

Variant of Phryne, Literature, Ancient Greek

"toad"

Phrynia Origin and Meaning

The name Phrynia is a girl's name meaning "toad".

Used by Shakespeare in his play Timon of Athens, Phrynia is a Shakespearean that hasn't caught on as Ophelia, Jessica, or Imogen have — possibly because of its unusual sounds, its toady meaning, and the fact Timon of Athens is less well known than the likes of Hamlet. Nevertheless, it is a distinctive name with an animal meaning, originally derived from the Ancient Greek Phryne, which translates more literally to "the brown animal". It likely originated as a nickname for someone with a "snub nose" — reminiscent of a toad — and was borne by a Greek hetaira (or courtesan). It has also been used as the name of a crater on one of Uranus's moons, Titania.