Athena

Athena: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning: “uncertain; name of the goddess Athena”
Origin: Greek
Say it: uh-THEE-nuh · 3 syllables
Used for: Girls

The name of the Greek goddess of wisdom and war; its pre-Greek origin is uncertain. Because the etymology is unclear, the meaning is traditionally linked to the deity rather than a literal root translation.

Greek names Names meaning wisdom Names meaning warrior Mythological names Classic names International names

How popular is Athena?

2024838 per million US babies

Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Compare with another name

Babies named Athena in 20242,788

2024 rank#90 girls

Peak year2023

Total US babies since 188050,614

Athena is rising: use over the last five years is 2.4× what it was a decade earlier.

Names like Athena

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

Sophiawisdom · Greek
Sofiawisdom · Greek
Chloeyoung green shoot · Greek
Zoelife · Greek
Penelopeweaver; duck · Greek
Elenabright, shining light · Greek
Genesisorigin; creation; birth · Greek
Zoeylife · Greek

Athena questions

What does the name Athena mean?

Athena means "uncertain; name of the goddess Athena". It comes from Greek. The name of the Greek goddess of wisdom and war; its pre-Greek origin is uncertain. Because the etymology is unclear, the meaning is traditionally linked to the deity rather than a literal root translation.

Is Athena a boy or girl name?

Athena is mainly a girl's name in US records (100% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Athena?

2,788 US babies were named Athena in 2024. Its peak year was 2023.

How do you pronounce Athena?

Athena is usually pronounced uh-THEE-nuh.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.