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At a Glance: Name: Athena – Meaning: name of the Greek goddess of wisdom and warfare – Origin: Greek – Gender: Girl – Pronunciation: uh-THEE-nah
Athena is a Greek name, best known as the name of the Greek goddess of wisdom and warfare. It's often said to simply mean "wisdom," but that's not quite right — Athena isn't a root word for wisdom, it's the goddess's name, and wisdom is one of the things she presided over. It's a classic, bold name, pronounced uh-THEE-nah (IPA /əˈθiːnə/).
Meaning & Origin of Athena
Meaning: Name of the greek goddess of wisdom and warfare.
Origin: Greek.
A common claim: Athena is widely said to mean 'wisdom.' Actually: Not quite — Athena has no independent root meaning 'wisdom'; it's simply the goddess's name, and she happens to preside over wisdom and warfare.
Source: Wiktionary, Wikipedia.
How to Pronounce Athena
Phonetic: uh-THEE-nah IPA: /əˈθiːnə/
Popularity of Athena
Athena hit its high point at #76 in 2023 with 2,996 babies given the name, then eased slightly to #90 in 2024 with 2,788 — a small dip after that peak, within Social Security data spanning 1902-2024.
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration birth-name data, 1902–2024.
Make Athena Name Art
Free printable nursery art for Athena, pre-loaded below — pick a layout, palette, and font, then download a print-ready PNG.
Names With a Similar Story
Derived from shared style, era, and origin data (or, for names we have no style data for, a similar Social Security popularity trajectory) — not a hand-picked list.
FAQ
What does the name Athena mean?
Name of the greek goddess of wisdom and warfare. (Source: Wiktionary, https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Athena)
How do you pronounce Athena?
Athena is pronounced uh-THEE-nah (IPA: /əˈθiːnə/).
Is Athena a popular name right now?
Athena peaked at #76 in 2023 and is ranked #90 as of 2024. (U.S. Social Security Administration data, 1902–2024.)
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