She was also worshipped in many other cities, notably in Sparta. , I choose the name Athena because in greek mythology she is the goddess of wisdom. When I was expecting (we didn't know the baby's sex) we referred to "it" as Zeus/Athena. Athena was customarily portrayed wearing body armour and a helmet and carrying a shield and a lance. Suda On Line) (Byzantine Greek lexicon C10th A.D.) : "Pallas : A great virgin. Mamas with kids named Athena also have kids with these names. You are right.
It's so cute and you don't need a nickname for it. It's one of the most widely used of the ancient goddess names that are finding such favor in the contemporary Western world. Mama Natural book cover right week by week guide to pregnancy and childbirth.

I used to not like the name because of the Greek pronunciation but it is growing on me because of the English pronunciation and good experiences with Athenas. Athina, I actually wasnt a fan of it when I was pregnant but my husband really wanted it and I'm really glad I went with it. Browse our list of these gems here. :D, I think Theeny would be a really cute nickname :). BabyCenter is committed to providing the most helpful and trustworthy pregnancy and parenting information in the world. With their upscale air, elegant girl names are naturally polished and never go out of style. You will receive an email (no more than once per day) summarizing any new mentions of Athena on Nameberry. Athena is associated with the city of Athens. She was particularly known as the patroness of spinning and weaving. Explore the classics and find new favorites in our collection. One of my friends has a cousin named Athena. This name is actually pretty popular in the Greek Orthodox community due to the Greek saint Athena name day September 1st if I'm not mistaken: http://www.namedays.gr/data..., use google translate to translate to English). Your email address will not be published. Athena’s moral and military superiority to Ares derives in part from the fact that she represents the intellectual and civilized side of war and the virtues of justice and skill, whereas Ares represents mere blood lust. Athena Parthenos, full-scale replica of Phidias's chryselephantine sculpture by Alan LeQuire, 1982; in a full-scale replica of the Parthenon, Nashville, Tennessee. And twin brother Aristotle to die! It allows you to go beyond the similarities of a name, which can provide a lot of inspiration! I've always loved the sound, but didn't consider it usable until I met someone with the name. She is super sweet and she loves her name too.

Try our baby name generator if you need more baby name inspiration.

It's a gorgeous strong name that stands out amongst the Olivias and Sophias of her classmates. Great!

She was associated with birds, particularly the owl, which became famous as the city’s own symbol, and with the snake. Common Homeric epithets of Athena.

In the Disney movie The Little Mermaid, Athena is the mother of Ariel. Athena was probably a pre-Hellenic goddess and was later taken over by the Greeks. Other poetic titles titles included:-- Suidas s.v. Would you like to follow Athena? But what little girl wouldn't want to be named after a goddess?

In Homer’s Iliad, Athena, as a war goddess, inspires and fights alongside the Greek heroes; her aid is synonymous with military prowess. We have an extensive list of names that match the baby name Athena in several ways. That was until I watched a show that had a character named Athena and every time they said her name I just thought about how gorgeous it was. it seems very fresh, pronounceable, and lovely. So cuuute! Greek Goddess of Wisdom and War Athena, also referred to as Athene, is a very important goddess of many things. Find a name that’s like Athena, but just a little bit different. Her superiority also derives in part from the vastly greater variety and importance of her functions and from the patriotism of Homer’s predecessors, Ares being of foreign origin. Suidas s.v. I actually know of a little girl named this, and it still surprises me every time I think that it is her name.

She was reportedly allowed to use his weapons, including the thunderbolt.
I used to think this was too grandiose and weird for a human child but now I think it's gorgeous and sleek. Athie, My oldest daughter is names Athena. If I were to have another girl (although I'm too old for that), I'd definitely consider Athena for her actual name. As another person already said, I always thought it was pretty but off limits as well.

Attie, Beautiful to the eye and to the ear, elegant girl names are always in demand. I adore this name!!! We call her Thena for short, I usually call her Thena beans or Thena beena. Love. I love ancient Greek mythology as well so that's a plus for me.

Athena’s association with the acropolises of various Greek cities probably stemmed from the location of the kings’ palaces there. I guess it shouldn't bother me because I like Diana and Freja, but for some reason, it just seems too off limits. Athena has always been my favourite goddess, and I'm secretly loving the name too. I chose the name Athena because ever since I was little I always loved the … I'm a 22 year old named Athina. Find inspiration in these baby girl name lists featuring the name Athena. Tina Fey turned to her Greek heritage for both of her second daughter's names: Penelope Athena—and this has spurred interest in Athena, even though it's in middle place. Athene is another version, and Athena's Roman counterpart is Minerva. This name is quite cute for a girl. I think Artemis & Athena would be a really cute pair up for twins. Athena is a strong warriors name. Boys names like Athena: Ares, Apollo, Hermes, Hephaestus, ... Magic Baby Names is a unique search site with 101,051 names collected from 2,500,481 family trees, containing 123,464,835 people. She is goddess of wisdom, courage, inspiration, civilization, law and justice, strategic warfare, mathematics, strength, strategy, the arts, crafts, and skill.

She was the great patroness-goddess of the city of Athens. Her emergence there as city goddess, Athena Polias (“Athena, Guardian of the City”), accompanied the ancient city-state’s transition from monarchy to democracy.

The qualities that lead to victory are found on the aegis, or breastplate, that Athena wears when she goes to war: fear, strife, defense, and assault. Nameberry is a registered trademark of Nameberry, LLC. She has 2 middle names like her sister, It is a strong name and my favorite Greek Goddess, Everything is perfect. In my country we pronunce it ah-TEH-nah. The city in Greek is written Αθήνα (Athena, pronunced ah-THEE-nah) and the name Αθηνά (Athena, pronunced ah-thee-NAH). Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. I feel it is so distinct and unique that it has become a party of my personality. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. The name Athena is a girl's name of Greek origin.

Nameberry is a registered trademark of Nameberry, LLC. How? Goddess names for girls are ethereal beauties from the heavens—literally. Athena became the goddess of crafts and skilled peacetime pursuits in general. Freya is another familiar goddess name. Unbelievably, I know one Athena (or Atena?). It is a Greek name so I think that the original pronunciation is the greek one, with the stress on the last syllable. There was an alternative story that Zeus swallowed Metis, the goddess of counsel, while she was pregnant with Athena, so that Athena finally emerged from Zeus. I love Athena! As the guardian of the welfare of kings, Athena became the goddess of good counsel, of prudent restraint and practical insight, as well as of war.

My favorite names. My brother's godmother is also named Athena (they only pronounce it the Greek way though, not the English way). Love it!

(We did a slight spelling variation so it would be pronounced correctly by Spanish relatives.) …was moralized; the goddess Pallas Athene, for example, who in physical allegory stood for the ether, in moral allegory was taken to represent reflective wisdom because she was born out of the forehead of her father, Zeus. :). Names That Mean Smart, Intelligent, or Wise.

A friend of mine has a cousin named Athena, and she's one of the cutest little girls on earth. We’ve scooped up all sorts of names that work well in the middle name position from funky and fun to timeless classics. She inspired three of Phidias’s sculptural masterpieces, including the massive chryselephantine (gold and ivory) statue of Athena Parthenos once housed in the Parthenon; and in Aeschylus’s dramatic tragedy Eumenides she founded the Areopagus (Athens’s aristocratic council), and, by breaking a deadlock of the judges in favour of Orestes, the defendant, she set the precedent that a tied vote signified acquittal.

“An undefiled maiden,” in allusion to the virgins who guarded the goddess Vesta, the symbol of hearth fire and undeflowered virginity. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.