Names from Myth & Legend
Mythological Boy Names
229 names, each with its meaning, U.S. popularity, and an audio pronunciation.
Looking for girl names instead? Mythological Girl Names →
A mythological name gives your son a legend to carry — the kind of name that sounds like it belongs to someone destined to do something. The mighty gods lead: Apollo, god of the sun and music; Zeus, king of them all; Thor and Odin striding out of the Norse sagas. Say one aloud and you feel it land. These are mythological boy names with real weight behind them.
Beyond the gods stand the titans and heroes — Atlas, who holds up the heavens, and Orion, the hunter written into the stars — names that feel both ancient and strikingly modern. For something bolder there’s Ares, Helios and the trickster Loki, while Phoenix, the bird reborn from its own ashes, has already crossed into the mainstream.
Every name below opens to its full page — the god or hero’s story, a sourced meaning, its U.S. popularity, and a clear audio pronunciation so you can say it with confidence.
Mythological Boy Names
Apollo#445 in the U.S.Name of the Greek god of the sun, music, poetry, and prophecy; exact meaning uncertain, possibl▶Odin#502 in the U.S.From Old Norse Óðinn, derived from óðr meaning 'fury,' 'inspiration,' or 'ecstasy,' the name of▶Atreus#582 in the U.S.From Greek Atreus, possibly derived from a- (not) and treo (to be afraid), meaning 'fearless' o▶Jayceon#629 in the U.S.A modern elaboration of Jason, derived from the Greek Iason, possibly from iasthai ('to heal').▶Aries#661 in the U.S.From Latin aries meaning ram; the name of the first sign of the zodiac (March 21–April 19) and ▶Evander#698 in the U.S.Good man; from Greek eu (good) and aner/andros (man)▶Dilan#805 in the U.S.Son of the sea or born of the ocean; a phonetic spelling variant of Dylan, from the Welsh dyn (▶Ulises#911 in the U.S.Wrathful; possibly wounded in the thigh (from Greek Odysseus, etymology disputed); Spanish form▶Osiris#976 in the U.S.Powerful; possibly 'place of the eye' or 'throne-eye'; from Egyptian Wsir (Osiris), the god of ▶Titan#1016 in the U.S.Great one; powerful ruler; from Greek Titan, the elder generation of gods in Greek mythology wh▶Zeus#1073 in the U.S.Sky; shine; from Proto-Indo-European *dyeu- (to shine, the sky), giving Greek Zeus (king of the▶Dion#1116 in the U.S.Divine; of Zeus; short form of Dionysios (of Dionysos, the Greek god of wine and ecstasy)▶Zephyr#1133 in the U.S.West wind; from Greek Zephyros (the west wind, personified as the gentlest of the wind gods)▶Achilles#1221 in the U.S.Pain of the people; possibly thin-lipped▶Perseus#1290 in the U.S.Destroyer, avenger; the hero-slayer▶Niam#1439 in the U.S.Bright, radiant, of golden beauty▶Hero#2342 in the U.S.Defender; protector; warrior; from Greek heros (a man of superhuman strength and valor, a warri▶Cael#2369 in the U.S.Slender; victorious people; from Irish Gaelic Cael (slender, narrow) or a variant of Caelum (La▶Juno#3009 in the U.S.Youth; vital force; heavenly ruler▶Hayk#3113 in the U.S.From Armenian Hayk, the name of the legendary patriarch and hero considered the founding ancest▶Tadhg#3198 in the U.S.Poet, philosopher; a person skilled in verse and learning▶Adonnis#3384 in the U.S.Double-n spelling of Adonis, the beautiful youth of Greek myth, from Phoenician adon, 'lord'▶Ahti#3551 in the U.S.From the Finnish Ahti, of uncertain meaning; the Finnish god of the sea, lakes, water, and fish▶Zagreus#5456 in the U.S.Zagreus is the name of an ancient Greek deity. In Orphic tradition he is the 'first Dionysus', ▶Giano#5726 in the U.S.An Italian name — from Giano (Janus), the Roman two-faced god of gates and beginnings; also a s▶Griffen#5727 in the U.S.-en spelling of Griffin — from the Welsh Gruffudd, 'a strong lord/prince', and the mythical gri▶Iris#5737 in the U.S.From Greek iris, 'a rainbow' — the goddess of the rainbow and the iris flower; predominantly a ▶Jasen#5744 in the U.S.An -e- spelling of Jason — from Greek Iason, 'a healer' (from iasthai, 'to heal')▶Leto#5784 in the U.S.From Greek myth — Leto, the Titaness mother of Apollo and Artemis; the meaning is debated ('the▶Poseidon#5816 in the U.S.From Greek myth — Poseidon, the god of the sea, earthquakes, and horses; the meaning is debated▶Saturn#5834 in the U.S.From Latin Saturnus — the Roman god of sowing, agriculture, and time (linked to satus, 'sowing'▶Ymir#5867 in the U.S.From Norse myth — Ymir, the primordial frost-giant from whose body the world was made; the name▶Ase#5908 in the U.S.From Old Norse ass/ase, 'a god; one of the Aesir (the Norse gods)'; also a Scandinavian name el▶Orpheus#5921 in the U.S.From the Greek Orpheus, of uncertain meaning (variously linked to orphne, 'the darkness of nigh▶Gryphon#5977 in the U.S.A -y- spelling of Griffin — from Greek gryps, 'the griffin' (the mythical eagle-lion); also lin▶Jove#6002 in the U.S.From Latin Iovis/Jove — Jupiter, the Roman sky-god and king of the gods (linked to a root for '▶Prometheus#6084 in the U.S.From Greek Prometheus, 'forethought; the foreseeing one' (pro, 'before', plus a root for 'to th▶Ulisses#6136 in the U.S.The Portuguese form of Ulysses (the Latin Odysseus) — variously 'the wrathful/hated one' and 'a▶Ara#6186 in the U.S.From Armenian — the name of the legendary king Ara the Beautiful (Ara Geghetsik); the meaning i▶Arash#6187 in the U.S.From Persian — the name of Arash the Archer (Arash Kamangir), a heroic archer of Persian legend▶Dionisio#6229 in the U.S.The Italian/Spanish form of Dionysius — 'of Dionysus', the Greek god of wine and revelry; we no▶Hercules#6582 in the U.S.From the Latin Hercules (Greek Herakles) — 'the glory of Hera' (Hera, the goddess, plus kleos, ▶Ladon#6652 in the U.S.Variously the Greek Ladon (the name of a dragon guarding the golden apples and a river god) and▶Arjuna#7785 in the U.S.From the Sanskrit Arjuna, 'white; bright; silver; clear'; the great archer-hero of the Mahabhar▶Horus#8549 in the U.S.From the Egyptian Heru/Hor, 'the distant/lofty one; the one above' — the falcon-headed sky god ▶Noxx#8752 in the U.S.A spelling of Nox — from the Latin nox, 'night' (Nox, the Roman goddess/personification of nigh▶Neptune#8778 in the U.S.From the Latin Neptunus, of uncertain meaning (variously linked to 'wet; moist' or 'to cover wi▶Ryujin#8807 in the U.S.From the Japanese Ryujin — 'the dragon god' (a dragon sea-deity/king of Japanese myth); we note▶Syren#8826 in the U.S.A modern spelling of Siren, from the Greek Seiren — the enchanting sea figures of myth whose so▶Stolas#8855 in the U.S.From the Greek stolas, linked to 'a crow/owl' — also the name of an owl-shaped figure/prince in▶Yaksh#8917 in the U.S.From the Sanskrit yaksha, 'a celestial being; a nature spirit/guardian of treasure' in Hindu an▶Adithya#8963 in the U.S.A spelling of Aditya — from the Sanskrit, 'the sun; a son of Aditi' (the Adityas being solar de▶Aedyn#8966 in the U.S.A spelling of Aiden — from the Irish Aodhan, a diminutive of Aodh ('fire'), hence 'little fire;▶Alcides#8981 in the U.S.From the Greek Alkeides — 'strong; of the line of Alcaeus' (from alke, 'strength/might'); an or▶Amunra#8996 in the U.S.From Amun-Ra — the supreme sun-god of ancient Egypt, uniting Amun ('the hidden one') and Ra ('t▶Daedalus#8996 in the U.S.From the Greek daidalos, 'cunningly wrought; skilled; ingenious'; the master craftsman and inve▶Aydon#9043 in the U.S.A spelling of Aiden/Ayden — from the Irish Aodhan, a diminutive of Aodh ('fire'), hence 'little▶Atum#9051 in the U.S.From the Egyptian Atum, 'the complete one; the all; he who completes' (from tem, 'to complete/f▶Demetre#9171 in the U.S.A form of Demetrius — from the Greek, 'devoted to Demeter' (the goddess of the harvest and grai▶Demitrius#9172 in the U.S.A spelling of Demetrius — from the Greek, 'devoted to Demeter' (the goddess of the harvest and ▶Dimitris#9187 in the U.S.A modern Greek form of Demetrius — from the Greek, 'devoted to Demeter' (the goddess of the har▶Dionicio#9189 in the U.S.A Spanish form of Dionysius — from the Greek, 'devoted to Dionysus' (the god of wine, festivity▶Fenris#9242 in the U.S.From Fenrir/Fenris — a monstrous wolf of Norse mythology, whose name is linked to 'a fen/marsh ▶Fenyx#9243 in the U.S.A spelling of Phoenix — from the Greek phoinix, variously 'the phoenix (a bird reborn from its ▶Griffon#9267 in the U.S.A spelling of Griffin — variously from the Welsh Gruffudd ('strong lord/chief') and the Latin g▶Ingram#9307 in the U.S.From the Germanic — Ing (a Norse god of fertility) + hraban, 'a raven', hence 'Ing's raven'; we▶Isidor#9316 in the U.S.A form of Isidore — from the Greek Isidoros, 'gift of Isis' (the Egyptian goddess); we note the▶Itzel#9320 in the U.S.From the Mayan, variously 'rainbow lady' and 'dew of heaven' (linked to Ixchel, a Mayan goddess▶Gwydion#9330 in the U.S.From the Welsh Gwydion, of uncertain meaning (variously 'born of trees' or linked to 'wisdom');▶Kaos#9390 in the U.S.A spelling of Chaos — from the Greek khaos, 'the void; the formless primordial state before cre▶Mani#9436 in the U.S.From the Old Norse Mani, 'the moon'; the Norse god and personification of the moon, who guides ▶Krishivreddy#9457 in the U.S.A compound name — Krishiv (a modern Sanskrit name linked to Lord Vishnu/Krishna) joined with Re▶Osian#9609 in the U.S.A Welsh form of Ossian/Oisin — from the Gaelic os, 'a deer/fawn', hence 'a little deer; a young▶Phoenixx#9625 in the U.S.A modern respelling of Phoenix — from the Greek phoinix, 'the phoenix (a mythical bird reborn f▶Raedyn#9636 in the U.S.A modern spelling of Raiden/Rayden — from the Japanese Raijin, 'thunder and lightning', the god▶Remus#9648 in the U.S.From the Latin Remus — of uncertain root; the twin brother of Romulus in the legend of the foun▶Diomedes#9658 in the U.S.From the Greek Diomedes, 'godlike cunning; divine plan' (Dios, 'of Zeus/divine', + medos, 'cunn▶Romulo#9666 in the U.S.A Spanish/Portuguese form of Romulus — from the Latin, linked to Roma, 'Rome'; the legendary fo▶Rudhra#9669 in the U.S.A spelling of Rudra — from the Sanskrit, 'the roarer; the fierce/howling one'; a name of the go▶Sarva#9688 in the U.S.From the Sanskrit sarva, 'all; whole; complete; everything'; also an epithet of the god Shiva; ▶Sanjaya#9709 in the U.S.Sanjaya is a genuine Sanskrit name meaning 'victory', 'triumphant', or 'completely victorious',▶Siva#9712 in the U.S.A spelling of Shiva — from the Sanskrit shiva, 'auspicious; kind; gracious'; the name of the gr▶Karna#9714 in the U.S.From the Sanskrit Karna, 'ear; born of the ear'; the noble, tragic warrior of the Mahabharata, ▶Trayaksh#9754 in the U.S.From the Sanskrit — traya, 'three', + aksh, 'an eye', hence 'the three-eyed one'; an epithet of▶Trishiv#9760 in the U.S.From the Sanskrit — tri, 'three', + Shiv, 'auspicious/the god Shiva', hence 'three times auspic▶Vinayak#9782 in the U.S.From the Sanskrit vinayaka, 'a leader; a guide; the remover of obstacles'; an epithet of the go▶Addonis#9877 in the U.S.A spelling of Adonis — from the Phoenician/Hebrew adon, 'a lord'; the beautiful youth loved by ▶Aengus#9889 in the U.S.A spelling of Angus/Aonghus — from the Gaelic, 'one choice; unique strength/vigor'; the Irish g▶Agustya#9893 in the U.S.A spelling of Agastya — a revered Vedic sage; also the star Canopus (Agastya); we note the sage▶Alpheus#9916 in the U.S.Variously the Greek Alpheios (a river and river-god of Arcadia) and the Hebrew-derived biblical▶Anagh#9931 in the U.S.From the Sanskrit anagh, 'sinless; free of fault; blameless/pure'; an epithet of the god Vishnu▶Anil#9938 in the U.S.From the Sanskrit anil, 'the wind; the air'; a name of Vayu, the god of wind; we note the deity▶Arez#9949 in the U.S.Variously a Kurdish name (linked to 'a cedar/land') and an echo of the Greek Ares, the god of w▶Aryes#9966 in the U.S.A modern name, variously echoing the Greek Ares (the god of war) or Aries (the ram, the zodiac ▶Aurora#9980 in the U.S.From the Latin aurora, 'the dawn; daybreak'; the Roman goddess of the dawn; overwhelmingly a gi▶Balor#9995 in the U.S.From Irish mythology, Balor — a one-eyed giant king of the Fomorians, whose eye could destroy w▶Shango#10078 in the U.S.From the Yoruba Sango, of uncertain meaning (linked to 'the striker'); the Yoruba orisha of thu▶Danis#10085 in the U.S.Variously a form of Dennis ('of Dionysus, the Greek god of wine', from Dionysios) and a modern ▶Deimos#10101 in the U.S.From the Greek deimos, 'dread; terror'; the personification of terror, a son of Ares (the war-g▶Demetric#10106 in the U.S.A modern form of Demetrius — from the Greek, 'of Demeter (the goddess of the harvest/earth); a ▶Deni#10107 in the U.S.A short form of Dennis/Denis — 'of Dionysus (the Greek god of wine)', from Dionysios; used for ▶Deucalion#10115 in the U.S.From Greek mythology, Deucalion — the son of Prometheus who, with his wife Pyrrha, survived a g▶Grim#10212 in the U.S.From the Old Norse grimr, 'a masked/hooded one; fierce'; also a byname of the god Odin (the dis▶Harveer#10233 in the U.S.From the Sanskrit/Punjabi Harveer, 'God's warrior; brave devotee of Hari' (Hari, a name of Vish▶Krishal#10433 in the U.S.A modern Indian given name built on the Krish-/Krishna element ('dark; the all-attractive one',▶Krishnav#10434 in the U.S.From the Sanskrit Krishnav, understood as 'a part/devotee of Krishna' (Krishna, 'dark; the all-▶Tryton#10511 in the U.S.Tryton is a variant spelling of Triton, in Greek mythology the sea god son of Poseidon and Amph▶Raijin#10536 in the U.S.From the Japanese Raijin, 'thunder god' (rai, 'thunder', + jin, 'god/deity'); the Shinto god of▶Nike#10567 in the U.S.From the Greek Nike, 'victory' — the winged goddess of victory in Greek myth, and the root of t▶Osyris#10608 in the U.S.A spelling of Osiris, the ancient Egyptian god of the afterlife, resurrection, and rebirth. As ▶Airrion#10700 in the U.S.Airrion is a phonetic American respelling of Orion, the giant hunter of Greek mythology placed ▶Taliesin#10750 in the U.S.From the Welsh Taliesin, 'shining brow; radiant brow' (tal, 'brow/forehead', + iesin, 'shining/▶Yama#10799 in the U.S.From the Sanskrit Yama, 'the twin; the restrainer/binder' (from yam, 'to restrain'); the Hindu ▶Aarion#10894 in the U.S.A modern spelling that reads as a variant of Arion (the Greek poet and mythic musician saved by▶Achilleas#10920 in the U.S.Achilleas is the Modern Greek form of Achilles, the great warrior-hero of Homer's Iliad. The an▶Dione#10956 in the U.S.From the Greek Dione, a Titaness — in some myths the mother of Aphrodite — her name a feminine ▶Amonra#10987 in the U.S.Amonra comes from Amun-Ra (Amun-Re), the fused supreme deity of ancient Egypt combining Amun ('▶Artemas#11022 in the U.S.Artemas is a Greek name meaning 'gift of Artemis' or 'safe and sound,' linked to the goddess Ar▶Atem#11031 in the U.S.Atem draws on Atum (Atem), the ancient Egyptian creator and self-originating sun god, 'the comp▶Baldur#11066 in the U.S.From the Old Norse Baldr, variously 'the shining one; brave/bold; lord/prince'; the beloved Nor▶Bran#11099 in the U.S.From the Welsh/Old Irish Bran, 'raven'; the giant-king Bran the Blessed of the Mabinogion, whos▶Chaos#11112 in the U.S.From the Greek Chaos, the vast primordial void that, in Hesiod's Theogony, existed before all c▶Endymion#11231 in the U.S.From the Greek Endymion, variously 'to dive into; the diver' (linked to the setting sun/moon); ▶Hyperion#11389 in the U.S.From the Greek Hyperion, 'the high one; he who watches/goes above' (hyper, 'above'); the Titan ▶Kartikeya#11525 in the U.S.From the Sanskrit Kartikeya, 'son of the Krittikas (the Pleiades)'; the Hindu god of war and vi▶Kronos#11557 in the U.S.The Greek spelling of Cronus, the leader of the Titans; the meaning is uncertain, sometimes lin▶Lugh#11593 in the U.S.From the Old Irish Lugh, of uncertain meaning (variously 'light; the shining one' or 'oath'); t▶Oceanus#11903 in the U.S.From the Greek Okeanos, the Titan of the great world-encircling river/ocean; the source of the ▶Agni#12072 in the U.S.From the Sanskrit Agni, 'fire'; the Hindu god of fire, the sacred flame and messenger who carri▶Vali#12134 in the U.S.From the Old Norse Vali, of uncertain meaning (variously 'the chosen one; a warrior'); a son of▶Vidar#12206 in the U.S.From the Old Norse Vidarr, variously 'the wide ruler' or 'the forest/wide warrior' (vidr, 'wide▶Achilleus#12330 in the U.S.The Greek form of Achilles, the great warrior hero of Homer's Iliad. The name's ancient root is▶Achillies#12331 in the U.S.A variant spelling of Achilles, the great warrior hero of Homer's Iliad. The name's ancient roo▶Cupid#12589 in the U.S.From the Latin Cupido, 'desire; passionate love' (from cupere, 'to desire'); the Roman god of l▶Calisto#12591 in the U.S.Calisto comes from Greek Kallistos/Callisto, 'most beautiful; fairest.' Callisto is a nymph in ▶Callisto#12592 in the U.S.Callisto comes from Greek Kallistos, 'most beautiful; fairest.' In myth Callisto is a nymph tur▶Dionysus#12748 in the U.S.From the Greek Dionysos, variously 'of Zeus/the god of Nysa' (Dios, 'of Zeus', + Nysa, a sacred▶Eklavya#12794 in the U.S.Eklavya (Ekalavya) is the name of a celebrated self-taught archer in the Sanskrit epic the Maha▶Enlil#12814 in the U.S.From the Sumerian Enlil, 'lord of the wind/storm' (en, 'lord', + lil, 'wind/air'); the mighty S▶Enkidu#12908 in the U.S.From the Sumerian Enkidu, variously 'creation of Enki' or 'lord of the good place'; the wild ma▶Io#12949 in the U.S.A name from Greek myth — Io, a mortal loved by Zeus and turned into a heifer. Also the innermos▶Janus#12959 in the U.S.From the Latin ianus, 'a doorway; an archway/gate'; the two-faced Roman god of doorways, beginn▶Inari#12971 in the U.S.From the Japanese Inari, 'carrying rice; rice load' (ina, 'rice', + ri, linked to 'to carry'); ▶Jasin#13056 in the U.S.A modern spelling of Jason, from Greek Iason, connected to iasthai, 'to heal' — hence the usual▶Kharon#13271 in the U.S.Kharon is a transliteration of the Greek Charon, the grim ferryman of the underworld who carrie▶Lykos#13417 in the U.S.Lykos is the Greek word for wolf, lykos — the root of 'lycanthrope' and of the epithet Lykeios ▶Morpheus#13538 in the U.S.Morpheus is the Greek god of dreams, who takes human form in the sleeping mind; the name is bui▶Lono#13552 in the U.S.From the Hawaiian Lono, of uncertain meaning (variously 'sound; news'); the Hawaiian god of agr▶Ptah#13565 in the U.S.From the Egyptian Ptah, variously 'the opener; the sculptor/creator'; the Egyptian creator-god ▶Orestes#13598 in the U.S.From the Greek Orestes, 'one who stands on a mountain; the mountaineer' (from oros, 'a mountain▶Pradyun#13693 in the U.S.Pradyun is a shortened, modern form of the Sanskrit name Pradyumna, meaning 'the pre-eminently ▶Samanyu#13830 in the U.S.From Sanskrit samanyu, built on manyu ('spirit; passion; ardor'), giving 'full of spirit; passi▶Shu#13886 in the U.S.From the Egyptian Shu, variously 'emptiness; he who rises up; dryness/air'; the Egyptian god of▶Silvanus#13896 in the U.S.From the Latin silva, 'a wood/forest'; the Roman god of forests, fields, and boundaries (also a▶Siren#13897 in the U.S.From the Sirens of Greek myth — sea-creatures whose singing lured sailors onto the rocks — by w▶Ullr#13972 in the U.S.From the Old Norse Ullr, 'glory; the glorious one'; the Norse god of archery, skiing, hunting, ▶Tane#13977 in the U.S.From the Maori Tane, 'man; male'; the Maori god of forests, birds, and living things, who separ▶Zypher#14241 in the U.S.Zypher is a modern respelling of Zephyr, from Greek Zephyros — the west wind, and the god who p▶AegirFrom the Old Norse Aegir, 'the sea' (variously 'the terrifier'); the Norse sea-giant/god who br▶ArawnFrom the Welsh Arawn, of uncertain meaning; the Welsh king of Annwn, the otherworld, who swaps ▶BacchusFrom the Latin Bacchus (from the Greek Bakchos), linked to 'a shout; revelry/noise'; the Roman ▶BaldrThe Old Norse spelling of Baldur, variously 'the shining one; brave/bold; lord/prince'; the bel▶BellerophonFrom the Greek Bellerophontes, variously 'a slayer of Belleros' (a figure whose identity is unc▶BhimaFrom the Sanskrit Bhima, 'terrible; awesome; the formidable one'; the mighty, immensely strong ▶BoreasFrom the Greek Boreas, 'the north wind' (variously 'the devouring one; from the mountains'); th▶BragiFrom the Old Norse Bragi, variously 'poetry; the poet' (bragr, 'poetry/eloquence') or 'the best▶CadmusFrom the Greek Kadmos, variously 'from the east' (linked to the Semitic qedem, 'east') and 'one▶CronusFrom the Greek Kronos, the leader of the Titans who ruled during the golden age; the meaning is▶DagdaFrom the Old Irish Dagda, 'the good god' (dag, 'good', + dia, 'god'); the great father-god of t▶DagrFrom the Old Norse Dagr, 'day'; the Norse god and personification of the day, son of Nott (Nigh▶DazhbogFrom the Slavic Dazhbog, 'the giving god' (dazh, 'to give', + bog, 'god'); the Slavic sun-god a▶ErebusFrom the Greek Erebos, 'darkness; the deep shadow'; a primordial god, the personification of da▶FaunusFrom the Latin Faunus, variously 'the kindly/favorable one' (from favere, 'to favor'); the Roma▶ForsetiFrom the Old Norse Forseti, 'the presiding one; the chairman/president' (fyrir, 'before', + set▶FujinFrom the Japanese Fujin, 'wind god' (fu, 'wind', + jin, 'god/deity'); the Shinto god of the win▶FuxiFrom the Chinese Fuxi, of uncertain meaning (linked to 'the tamer; he who subdues'); the Chines▶GanymedeFrom the Greek Ganymedes, variously 'glad to be a prince; gladdening; rejoicing in manhood' (ga▶GebFrom the Egyptian Geb, 'the earth'; the Egyptian god of the earth, whose laughter was thought t▶GilgameshFrom the Sumerian Gilgamesh, of uncertain meaning (traditionally 'the ancestor is a hero'); the▶HeimdallFrom the Old Norse Heimdallr, variously 'the one who illuminates the world; world-brightener' (▶HouyiFrom the Chinese Houyi, 'lord archer Yi' (hou, 'lord/marquis', + Yi, a name); the legendary Chi▶IlmarinenFrom the Finnish Ilmarinen, 'of the air/sky' (from ilma, 'air/sky'); the eternal smith-hero of ▶IzanagiFrom the Japanese Izanagi, traditionally 'he who invites'; the Shinto creator-god who, with Iza▶JariloFrom the Slavic Jarilo, 'the ardent one; vigorous' (from jar, 'ardor/vigor/spring'); the Slavic▶KhnumFrom the Egyptian Khnum, linked to 'to build/create; the moulder'; the ram-headed Egyptian god ▶KhonsuFrom the Egyptian khonsu, 'the traveller; the wanderer' (from khenes, 'to cross/traverse'); the▶KuberaFrom the Sanskrit Kubera, of uncertain meaning (variously 'ill-shaped body' or 'the lord of wea▶KvasirFrom the Old Norse Kvasir, linked to 'fermented drink/mash' (kvas); the wise being created from▶LaiosLaios is the Greek form of Laius, the mythic king of Thebes and father of Oedipus - noted hones▶ManannanFrom the Old Irish Manannan mac Lir, linked to 'of the Isle of Man; the sea one'; the Celtic go▶MardukFrom the Akkadian Marduk, variously 'bull-calf of the sun; solar calf' (amar, 'calf', + utu, 's▶MimirFrom the Old Norse Mimir, 'the rememberer; the wise one' (linked to a root meaning 'memory/to t▶NabuFrom the Akkadian Nabu, 'the announcer; the caller' (from nabu, 'to announce/call'); the Mesopo▶NakulaFrom the Sanskrit Nakula, 'mongoose'; the handsome fourth Pandava brother of the Mahabharata, s▶NalaFrom the Sanskrit Nala, of layered meaning (variously 'stem; reed; hollow stalk'); the noble ki▶NannaFrom the Sumerian Nanna, of uncertain meaning (linked to 'the illuminator'); the Sumerian moon-▶NereusFrom the Greek Nereus, linked to 'wet; flowing water'; the 'Old Man of the Sea', a gentle sea-g▶NergalFrom the Sumerian Nergal, variously 'lord of the great city (the underworld)'; the Mesopotamian▶NjordFrom the Old Norse Njordr, variously linked to 'strength; vigor'; the Norse god of the sea, win▶NotusFrom the Greek Notos, 'the south wind'; the god of the hot, storm-bringing south wind of late s▶
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Frequently Asked
What are the best mythological boy names?
Top picks include Apollo, Atlas, Orion, Thor, Odin and Loki — each carrying a god or hero’s story.