Can The Odyssey, an epic poem written 2700 years ago in Ancient Greece, provide baby name inspiration for modern parents? Most definitely.

Some of the names in The Odyssey still sound modern to our ears. You may even know an Athena, Hector, or Penelope. There are also some names that fall somewhere in the middle, like Aphrodite or Achilles. These names aren’t common, but they’re not unheard of either.

Here are some of the names to consider if you’re inspired by The Odyssey:

Boy Names

• Achilles
• Ajax
• Atlas
• Cyprus
• Jason
• Nestor
• Odysseus
• Orion
• Perseus
• Poseidon
• Styx
• Zephyr
• Zeus

Girl Names

• Athena
• Aphrodite
• Ariadne
• Artemis
• Calypso
• Cassandra
• Circe
• Diana
• Gaia
• Helen
• Hermione
• Leda
• Penelope
• Persephone
• Phaedra

Pronunciation Guide

If you have any questions about how to pronounce names from The Odyssey, go to the expert Emily Wilson, the translator of my favorite version of The Odyssey. She has a pronunciation guide and clips of herself pronouncing all the names herself. I consulted this a lot when I was reading both The Iliad and The Odyssey.

Baby Names Made Easy

If you want more name ideas, check out my book Baby Names Made Easy. The book is organized by name meaning and full of name inspiration, including name origins and definitions, and lots of themed-lists.

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