Greek Names (with Meanings & Popularity)

Letha is taken from Lethe, the mythological River of Oblivion. Letha now sounds as if it's missing a first syllable.

Isla is hot, Iona is cool – maybe it's time Iola got a second look? Last heard from on Carol Burnett's Mama's Family show, Iola feels like just the sort of uncommon, vowel-rich, vintage name that should be ripe for rediscovery.

There is some disagreement whether there are one or two figures named Alpheus in the Bible. There's an Alpheus who's the father of James and an Alpheus who's the father of Levi, and if James and Levi are brothers, then that's the same Alpheus. Or not.

Water names are a cool category these days, and this one of the famous Egyptian river is no exception. It streamlines the fussier Niles and also may be thought of as a color name, meaning dark blue or indigo.

An obscure yet on-trend name with two wonderful meanings associated with it. Neoma is one of the freshest celestial girl names with moon-related meanings, rarer than Luna or Phoebe but with the same fluid sound.

This name of the queen of the fairies in A Midsummer Night's Dream has a delicate, lacy charm similar to Tatiana's, but that first syllable could cause embarrassing problems.

The th sound both softens and complicates this Melanie relative.

The first letter of the Greek alphabet ande the brightest star in every constellation, this would make an interesting choice for a first daughter, though it does give off some spectral sci-fi reverberations--and references to the term "alpha male.".

It's a futuristic name in Solaris, but it is also related to Rhea, the name of Zeus's mother and wife of Cronus.

Very popular on its native turf, foreign-sounding here.

Eirene, modernized to Irene, was the Greek goddess of peace. Eirene or Irene was also the name of an early empress and several saints.

A musical name that's more popular for girls, but has been hovering just inside the Top 1000 for boys since 2007.

The original but less common spelling of the ancient mythological name, now used mostly for fictional witches. But the rise of the lovely Lady Sybil Crawley on television's Downton Abbey and the fall of the multiple personality Sybil, a self-confessed fake, may give Sibyl and Sybil more credibility as a name.

The great philosopher's name is commonly used in Greek families, and is one that could work for daring, philosophy inclined American ones.

Dina is a 20th century version of either Dinah or Adinah, two Old Testament names not related to each other. Dinah was the beautiful daughter of Jacob and Leah, while Adinah or Adina was a male soldier, though the name is also used for girls in modern Israel.

Calista Flockhart opened the door to a whole flock of graceful and unusual Greek names like this. Some others are Calantha, Calla, Carissa, and Cassia.

If you're a lover of the beach and sea, and want a name that relates to the largest body of water, there are several variations you could consider.

Diantha, a mythological flower of the supreme Greek god Zeus, is a melodious and more unusual cousin of Diana, heard most often in The Netherlands.

Dido was the heroine of Virgil's Aeneid and of the opera "Dido and Aeneas," and in Roman mythology the founder of Carthage. A strong ancient name in the Juno mode, but it could have some awkward associations down the line.

Iliana is one of the vaguely but usually undefinably international names that have a wide range of spellings and pronunciations. Ilium was the poetic name of the city of Troy, and variations of this name — especially Ileana and Ileanna — have been widely used, projecting a rather bohemian image. The traditional Greek pronunciation would be ee-lee-AH-nah while in English speaking countries, it might be ill-ee-AH-nah.