Parents gravitating toward baby names like Maeve or Atlas might be interested in mythology.
Pamela Redmond of the baby name website Nameberry told TODAY Parents that mythology names with meanings — including Greek mythology names and Norse mythology names — are trendy right now for parents-to-be.
"Some of the most fashionable choices right now — Maeve, Luna and Freya for girls, (and) Atlas, Jasper and Arthur for boys — claim roots in mythology," Redmond said.
Related: 50 Greek baby names for boys and girls
Top 5 mythology female names with meanings
Maeve — “she who intoxicates”
Luna — “moon”
Aurora — “dawn”
Iris — “rainbow”
Freya — “a noble woman”
Top 5 mythology male names with meanings
Finn — “fair, white”
Atlas — “bearer of the heavens”
Oscar — “god-spear, deer-lover, or champion warrior”
Jasper — “bringer of treasure”
Arthur — “bear”
Mythological themes of strength, power and protection have been influential in popularizing mythological names.
“Especially since COVID, parents have been interested in names with a sort of incantatory power that can imbue strength in their children or provide some sort of protection,” Redmond explained. “Names associated with gods, goddesses and other oversized figures of legend were a natural place to look.”
Related: 80 biblical baby names for boys and girls — and their place in history
Top 50 mythology baby names
- Maeve
- Luna
- Finn
- Aurora
- Atlas
- Iris
- Freya
- Oscar
- Jasper
- Daphne
- Penelope
- Cora
- Arthur
- Chloe
- Phoebe
- Athena
- Orion
- Dylan
- Evander
- Lilith
- Flora
- Persephone
- Zephyr
- Calliope
- Lucifer
- Cynthia
- Apollo
- Juno
- Isolde
- Althea
- Tristan
- Ariadne
- Andromeda
- June
- Artemis (female)
- Nyx
- Artemis (male)
- Victoria
- Diana
- Cian
- Cassiopeia
- Cormac
- Lorelei
- Odin
- Cassandra
- Gaia
- Calypso
- Irene
- Sabrina
- Astra
