Names That Mean Greek

You may be tempted to scoff at Mint as another wacky celebrity baby name — it was used by Dutch model Romee Strijd for her daughter in 2020 — but it's a far more legitimate choice than many would guess. Minty baby names for girls are having a style moment in Nordic countries — Mynte is a Top 50 name in Denmark, and Minttu ranks in Finland's Top 50. It's ultimately not so surprising that a well-traveled international star would choose to use the English variation of these names for her daughter.

An elegy is a poem lamenting a deceased person. As a name, it could be used by parents in remembrance of a recently deceased person or as a euphonic and unusual literary name. The original Greek could also work.

If you can't have an Alpha male, how about a Beta girl.

Gianni, the Italian form of Johnny, has gotten popular in the US, and there's a good chance Giannis will be next, thanks to rising star basketball player Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is Greek. It makes an original spin on John or Jonas - though, it should be noted that the traditional Greek pronunciation would be YAH-nees. Other spelling variations are Iannis and Yanis - the latter perhaps being popular in France and on the rise in the UK.

Kostas makes the ancient emperor's name more approachable.

Musical, with a buoyant beat.

Attractive attenuated form of the popular Christopher, well used throughout Europe, appearing as Christophe in France and Christoph in Germany.

Thessaly is the name of an area of Greece, known for being near Mount Olympus. This variation lends itself to the nickname Sally. You may also wish to consider the name Larissa, which is the capital of the Thessaly region.

With the rising use of Eugenie and Eulalia, could literary Euphony make a debut? It certainly has a pleasant meaning and is euphonic itself.

Theta is the name of the eighth letter of the ancient Greek alphabet, which is also the symbol of death. As such, it has rarely been used as a baby name.

The name of the tragic heroine of Alexander Pushkin's narrative poem The Gypsies, which has been adapted into several dozen ballets and operas. It may also have inspired Prosper Mérimée's novella Carmen, on which the famous opera of the same name was based.

Kristofer and all his cousins (and kousins) is an ancient name that was hugely popular from the 1970s through the 1990s, spawning a wide number of variations. Americans will be familiar with this phonetic spelling with an exotic spin.

One way to reference mythology without naming your son after a god.

Serviceable spelling of a cute but pandemic name that appears as everything from Cali to Callie to Kaylee and Kayleigh. Are these all the same names? Though there may be subtle differences in pronunciation and theoretical derivation, they certainly feel similar.

Sofia with several authentic Slavic bells and whistles.

This is the clumsiest and least popular version of the classic Greek name Zoe. Little wonder this variation has fallen nearly 200 places in the US popularity rankings in just 2 years. We recommend you stick with the beautiful and elegant Zoe (which, for those of you looking to avoid overly-used names, is less popular than the American spelling 'Zoey').

Zephyrinus is the form of the name of the Greek god of the west wind best known as the name of a Jewish pope and saint.