Athena
Athena was the 109th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 2,477 babies. Its best year was 2023, when it ranked 76th; the most babies were born in 2022 (3,029). Over the last ten years it has moved up 48 places. More babies were named Athena in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning Origin not documented
Say it uh-THEE-nuh /əˈθinə/
- Rank in 2025
- #109 girls, down 2 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 2,477girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20223,029 babies
- Total since 1880
- 53,118babies recorded
What does the name Athena mean?
Athena is the Greek goddess of wisdom, crafts and strategy, protector of Athens. Wikipedia reports that scholars now generally agree the goddess was named after the city rather than the reverse, and that the city name Athenai is probably pre-Greek, so its meaning is unknown. Ancient writers such as Plato offered fanciful explanations that are not accepted today. As a given name Athena is used in honor of the goddess, and Wikipedia notes its modern use in English.
How sure is this? Not documented. The goddess's name probably comes from the city of Athens, whose name is pre-Greek and of unknown meaning.
Other explanations you may read: Plato's explanations (e.g. 'mind of God').
Related names: Athina, Athene, Thea.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Athena', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Wikipedia, 'Athena', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Wikipedia, 'Athena (given name)', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
Nicknames for Athena
The usual nicknames for Athena are Thea. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 girls named Athena in the last five years, 35 were named Thea, against 23 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Girls, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thea · also for Theodora, Dorothea | Modern | #353 | 4,837 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are girls given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Athenas go by each one.
Athena popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #109 | 2,477 |
| 2020 | #107 | 2,518 |
| 2010 | #363 | 882 |
| 2000 | #530 | 498 |
| 1990 | #731 | 285 |
| 1980 | #541 | 348 |
| 1970 | #736 | 201 |
| 1960 | #842 | 151 |
| 1950 | #1,836 | 27 |
| 1940 | #2,308 | 13 |
| 1930 | #1,072 | 47 |
| 1920 | #1,208 | 40 |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Athena, counting every spelling?
Athena is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #131 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #109 for Athena on its own. Together these spellings went to 2,483 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Athena | 2,477 | #109 | 14,018 |
| Atheena | 6 | #13,393 | 36 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Athena?
2,477 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Athena (0.69 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Athena born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 3 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Athena.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Athena?
About 51,300 people born in the US named Athena are alive today, with a median age of 10; half are between 5 and 22. That makes Athena a young name: most people with it are children.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Athena by state
How common Athena was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Alaska (3.7×), Nevada (2.8×), Wyoming (2.7×), Hawaii (2.7×), New Mexico (2.7×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Louisiana, Georgia, Mississippi.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Athena: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Athena, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Athena · Sibling names for Athena
Questions about the name Athena
How popular is the name Athena?
Athena was the 109th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 2,477 babies. Its best year was 2023, when it ranked 76th; the most babies were born in 2022 (3,029). Over the last ten years it has moved up 48 places. More babies were named Athena in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Athena a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Athena in the US.
Where is Athena most popular?
In 2021–2025, Athena was most common in Alaska (6.39 per 1,000 girls), followed by Nevada and Wyoming.