Greek Names (with Meanings & Popularity)

Oceanus was the Titan in ancient Greek mythology who rules what they thought was the body of water that surrounded the Earth. Oceanus was, appropriately enough, the name of the baby born on the Mayflower. Modern variations include Ocean, Oceana, and Oceane, a popular French name for girls.

Appropriate for a girl born between late September and late October, Libra suggests both balance and freedom.

Poetic though thorny.

Name of a tragic mythological hero, used as a surname in the works of James Joyce; heavy but ponderous for an American boy, though pulled off very well by single-name musician Daedalus and writer and artist Daedalus Howell.

The name of several early saints, including one, Pelagia the Penitent, a beautiful and licentious dancing girl who repented, then, disguised as a man, spent the rest of her life living alone in a cave on the Mount of Olives. Because of her early vocation, she is the patron saint of actresses.

Justina was the pre-Justine feminization of Justin, now a possible alternative to Christina. Oddly, while Justine feels like a name unto itself, Justina feels like a pinned-together feminization in the mold of Richarda or Benjamina. Still, it may appeal as one of the unusual-yet-familiar girl names starting with J.

Mythological princess who killed her kids. Eternal no-no.

The lovely Sybella is being nudged into the spotlight by two influences: the original Sybil (the most popular spelling) or Sibyl, name of the beauteous youngest sister of television's period megahit Downton Abbey, and Top Ten name Isabella. Biggest downside: There are an awful lot of girls with names that are variations of Bella around these days. But Sybella at least makes a distinctive member of the genre.

A solid, if somewhat serious Greek name. Theoni and Theona are variants. This might be a possibility if you're looking for an unusual route to Thea.

Thảo is a unisex, though primarily feminine, name in Vietnam.

Like others in this vein, problematic due to the feminine Hailey connection.

A rarely used name meaning from Delos, a sacred island to the ancient Greeks. A more interesting and musical choice might be Delius, after the British-born composer of lush rhapsodies.

Previously Timothy's dusty and outdated sister, now actually feels fresher than its brother name. With Thea names right on trend at the moment, this could be a surprising and even more unusual alternative to Theodora or Dorothea for lovers of vintage names and that stylish Thea sound.

Cleora is a now-extinct name (there were no babies named Cleora recorded in the U.S. in 2012) that achieved some standing in the early 20th century thanks to the craze for all things Egypt-related. A range of Cleopatra diminutives, including Cleo, Cleora, Cleona, and Cleola, made the Top 1000 then as the ancient tombs were opened in Egypt.

This unique one-syllable name was added to the mix by Mariel Hemingway for her now grown model/actress daughter; it could make a distinctive middle name or Bree substitute.

As long as nobody connects it with xenophobia -- the fear of strangers and the unknown.

Old southern name too close to "philanderer".