Goddess Names

Goddess names are found in all of our ancient cultures. This area of my site is dedicated to unravelling the origins and meanings behind these ancient figures.
The list contains the main Greek Goddess names as well as the names of many Celtic, Egyptian, Nordic, Roman and Sumerian Goddesses.
This listing will be useful to you if you are choosing a name for your daughter or for businesses looking for a name that will encapsulate the nature of their product.
It is also a great resource for discovering the main features of the Goddesses and as a navigational tool to find more indepth information contained within this site about the individual Goddesses.

Aphrodite (Greek) - The beautiful Goddess of love and fertility. No man could resist Aphrodite when she wore her magic girdle. Her name means foam born or risen from foam as she was birthed from the churning sea.

Arianrhod (Celtic) - Goddess of fertility, rebirth and the weaving of cosmic time and fate. The last aspect of her nature is contained within her name which means “silver wheel” or “round wheel,” suggesting her importance in the cycles of life. Other common spellings of her name are Aranhod and Arianrod.

Artemis (Greek) - An independent spirit, she is Goddess is of the hunt, nature and birth. There are several different theories about the origin of her name, one school of thought says it comes from an ancient word for “safe” and another argues that it means “strong limbed.” Either way the suggestion is that this maiden Goddess has the strength and ability to protect herself from any unwanted attention.

Athena (Greek) - Goddess of war and wisdom and domestic crafts. Plato believed her name meant "mind of God" whilst others suggest it comes an ancient word meaning “sharp.” Both these words point to Athena's great intellectual ability to see the true nature of a situation and to develop successful strategies.

Bast (Egyptian) - The famous cat Goddess, she protected pregnant woman and children. Bast was a very sensual Goddess who enjoyed music, dance and perfume. Her name comes from the bas jars used to store perfumes and ointments. Other versions of this Goddess name's include: Bastet, Baset, Ubasti and Pasht.

Ceres (Roman) - This Goddess of agriculture and grains name comes from the Indo European word root, ker meaning “to grow.” In turn her name has become the origin of our modern word cereal.

Ceridwen (Celtic) - Goddess of moon, magic, agriculture, nature, poetry language, music, art, science and astrology. She was also keeper of the cauldron. Her name means “chiding love.” Cerridwen, Caridwen, Kerritwen, Keridwen, Kyrridwen are other variations of her name.

Demeter (Greek) - Goddess of the harvest who possessed great knowledge of the best way to grow, preserve and harvest grain. She was also the devoted mother of Persephone. Her name reflects her nurturing personality as it means “earth mother” in Greek.

Diana (Roman) - Goddess of the hunt and wild animals. She later took over from Luna as the Roman Goddess of the moon, responsible for fertility and childbirth. Her name means "heavenly divine," reflecting her celestial role.

Eirene (Greek) - This Greek Goddess name means peace in her native language, expressing her diplomatic nature. Her name also often appears as Irene.

Eos (Greek) - A sunny natured Goddess whose name means dawn.

Epona (Celtic) - Protector of horses, donkeys, and mules. She was also an ancient fertility Goddess. Epona's Goddess name comes from the Gaulish word epos meaning "great mare."

Ereshkigal (Sumerian) - Goddess of Attalu, the land of the dead and ancestral memories. Her name translates as "great lady under the earth." Irkalla is an alternative name by which this Goddess is identified.

Freya (Nordic) - Goddess of love, beauty, fertility, war, wealth, divination and magic. Her name comes from the ancient Norse word for lady or mistress. There are several variations of the spellings of this Goddess name including: Freyja, Freyr and Freyja.

Frigg (Nordic) - Goddess of marriage, childbirth, motherhood, wisdom, household management and weaving and spinning. Her name means "beloved" in ancient Norse and is derived from fri "to love." She is also known as Frige, Friia, Frija and Frea.

Hathor (Egyptian) - This heavenly cow's areas of influence included music, dancing, joy and fertility. Her name translates as "house of Horus". Alternative names for this Goddess are Het-Hert, Hetheru, Mehturt, Mehurt, Mehet-Weret, and Mehet-uret,

Hebe (Greek) – Hebe’s name literally means youth or in the prime of life. She was one of the daughters of Zeus and Hera. Her role was to serve the nectar and ambrosia to the Gods and Goddesses that prevented them from aging.

Hekate (Greek) - Goddess of the wild places, childbirth and the crossroads. She is closely associated with magic and witchcraft. Her name is said to be derived from the Greek word hekas meaning "far off" describing her unworldly, shamanic nature. Also known as Hecate

Hella (Nordic) - The fearsome Goddess of the Nordic realm of the dead. Her name is derived from the word kel, meaning "to conceal." There are numerous spellings of her name including Halje Hell, Hel, Helle,Hela and Holle.

Hera (Greek) - Queen of the Olympians and Goddess of marriage and birth. The meaning of her Goddess name has been lost. One historian claims her name could be connected to the Greek word for seasons hora, suggesting she is ripe for marriage.

Hestia (Greek) - The domestic Goddess of the Greek Pantheon, she rules over the hearth and home. Her name comes from the Greek word estia meaning "she that dwells or tarries." This reflects the importance of the role that the ancient Greeks attributed to this Goddess in sacrificing her position as an Olympian to guard the fire and maintain a happy home.

Inanna (Sumerian) - Goddess of love, war, and fertility. Inanna was the personification of the morning and evening star. Her beautiful name means "lady of the sky." This Goddess is closely linked to Ishtar and Nin-anna.

Indunn (Nordic) - Goddess of youth and springtime. Her name means she who renews and has several alternative spellings including Indun, Iduna and Idhunna.

Iris (Greek) - Goddess of the rainbow and messenger to the Gods. Her name means rainbow in her native language.

Isis (Egyptian) - This famous Goddess has so many different aspects, her most important roles are as Goddess of life and magic. Isis’s name comes from the Egyptian word aset and means "she of throne" in other words the Queen of the Goddesses.

Juno (Roman) - Goddess of marriage, pregnancy and childbirth. She protected the finances of the citizens of Rome. Her name is mystery, it speaks of a contradictory role for this Goddess, before her alignment to the matronly, Greek Goddess, Hera. This is because her name is derived from the root yeu meaning "vital force" indicating a more youthful, maiden Goddess

Maat (Egyptian)- Goddess of truth, justice and balance. She prevented the creation from reverting to chaos and judged the deeds of the dead with her feather. This Goddess name stems from the word Mayet meaning “straight.” This reflects her unbending nature in upholding what is right and just.

Minerva (Roman) - Goddess of wisdom, medicine and crafts. Her name is linked to the Latin word mens which means "intellect," suggesting the intelligence and inventiveness of this ancient Goddess.

Morrigan (Celtic) - The terrifying crow Goddess associated with war and death on the battlefield. She was queen of phantoms, demons, shape-shifters and patroness of priestesses and Witches. Her name means "great queen" in the old Irish language. Morrigan was also known as Morgane, Morrígu, Morríghan, Mor-Ríoghain and Morrígna.

Nephthys (Egyptian) - Goddess of death, decay and the unseen. Her name speaks of her priestess role as it means "lady of the temple enclosure." Other variations of her title include Nebet-het and Nebt-het.

Nike (Greek) - This Greek Goddess name means victory, she represented success especially in the sporting arena which is why her name was chosen for a famous brand of sportswear.

Persephone (Greek) - Daughter of Demeter and Queen of the Underworld. She was also none as Kore reflecting the Maiden aspect of this Goddess. Other variations of her name include Persephoneia, Persephassa, Persephatta and Pherepapha

Pomona (Roman) – Pomona protected fruiting trees and gardens. Her name is derived from the Latin word pomus, meaning “fruit tree.”

Rhea (Greek) - The ancient Titan Earth Goddess, responsible for the fertility of the soil and women. The name is most likely a form of the word era meaning "earth", although it has also been linked to 'rheos' the Greek term for “stream.”

Selene (Greek) – Selene was the Titan personification of the moon, unsurprising then that her name means moon in Greek.

Seshat (Egyptian) - The great scribe and librarian Goddess who was responsible for accounting, architecture, astronomy, historical records and mathematics. Her Goddess name means "she who scibes." It is also appears as Safkhet, Sashet, Seshata, Sesat, Sesheta and Sheshat.

Themis (Greek) - Goddess of divine justice, order and customs. She also had the gift of prophecy. Her name simply means "law of nature" or "divine nature."

Venus (Roman) - Goddess and love and beauty. Her Goddess name has become synonymous with her role as the woman who all men desire.

Vesta (Roman) - Guardian of the sacred Flame. Vesta’s name and function is derived from the Greek Goddess Hestia.

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~eGuru Mizuka