Greek Girl Names

Name of mythological fiend who seduced young men and then ate them, which inspired the Keats poem "Lamia." Described in mythology as a snake with the head and breasts of a woman, this name has been considered in modern times as a vampire name. And if all that isn't discouraging enough, there's the "lame" connection.

Rather than confusing things with Elexis, we'd stick with the original Alexis version.

A coffee filter.

Jocasta is a mythological name fashionably used in England, but mostly ignored here. She was the mother of Oedipus, King of Thebes, whom he (oops) unwittingly married. If you can ignore that small error in judgment, you'll find an interesting and attractive J name that's neither overused nor terminally dated.

Alcina is an operatic name, best-known as the name of the beautiful sorceress of the eponymous Handel opera drawn from the Orlando poems. Alcina and her sister Morgana live on an island where Alcina seduces every passing sailor but once their novelty wears off, changes them into plants, rocks, or animals. Alcina comes with modern-sounding short forms Alcie or Alsie, which feel more baby-ready now that names such as Elsie, Elsa, and Isla are becoming popular again.

Another of the new Greek-accented Cal- names.

Veronica seems poised to rise again, along with many other V names, and with it may follow this more romantic French version.

In Greek mythology, Lethe was the name of one of the five rivers in Hades, the underworld. Lethe was also the name of the Greek spirit of forgetfulness and oblivion, with whom the river was often identified.

A paramour of Alexander the Great and the heroine of a Massenet opera, this name is nothing if not dramatic.

Annis and Anice are both antique variations of Agnes that have fallen out of use, perhaps because of pronunciation problems (ANN-is, or an-EES?)

May be the most modern, stylish Catherine nickname: more unusual than Kate or Cate, with an animal and word name edge. Cat Power is a trendy folksinger.

Five girls were given the name Perrine last year. More modern-sounding are Perrin, Perry, or even Petra.

Biblical name long associated with the fallen-yet-redeemed Mary Magdalen, now rising improbably into the ranks of the fashionable among parents hungry for classic yet distinctive girls' names. The Magdalene and Magdalena versions are perhaps even more stylish. Can be shortened to Maggie or Magda but the full version is prettiest. One of our new favorites!

One of the romantic names favored by British pastoral poets, more appealing in its longer form, Araminta.

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

Cytherea, a place-name that is the home of Aphrodite, seems stuck in ancient Greece.

Ioanna may be an original spin on the Joanna family, but American tongues may have trouble wrapping themselves around all its vowels. Ioanna is pronounced ee-oh-ah-nah.

A seriously classic name meaning love, Adelpha is also the name for a genus of butterflies.

This version of the name of a Greek nymph, based on the ancient city of Larisa, is widely used in Russia thanks to a martyr saint venerated by the Eastern Church.

A male name occasionally borrowed by the girls, as in Dorian Cramer, a long-running female character on the soap One Life to Live and famous midcentury model Dorian Leigh.