Aphrodite

原16 baby girls born in the USA (2015) were given Aphrodite.

原Hey all, Aphrodite here!To answer some of the questions... I'm Greek, named after my grandmother and have several cousins named Aphrodite as well. I grew up in a small town in Canada where diversity was not really all that common. I knew all about the name Aphrodite by the time I was 2, everyone asked if I knew what the name meant and I'd give out little Greek mythology lectures by the time I was 4 to whoever asked. I was a shy kid that didn't really want the attention the name brought so reverted to "Didi" in high school. College I switched back to Aphrodite because I "felt' more like an Aphrodite. College was the first time anyone tried to nickname me "Afro, Fro, Desiac, Aphrodisiac, etc., lack of responses on my part seemed to stop it. Now in my 40s I'm quite comfortable at having such a name, despite the fact that I have some wrinkles and am getting a few grays. Career wise I worked predominantly with men in IT and Geology sector. I always had major reactions to it from "Cool! To 'Were your parents high? Did you name yourself? You look like an Aphrodite..." it really varied. There were times that I just wanted to be called Christine or something, but in the end I love its uniqueness, and no one has ever forgotten me. When that song "She's so high' came out, people were calling me out of the woodwork saying that they'd hear it on the radio and thought of me. In the end, it is just a name. I did not turn into a sex goddess, I did not go broke because no one would hire me, I did not wear more makeup to live up to a name or image. I was respected at work by my male peers and made great friends with women wherever I went. I have 3 degrees and did amazingly well in all my ancient history and mythology classes... hmmmm, wonder why, lol. I'm sure that some snide remarks were made behind my back, but seriously, those people would have made one even if my name was Jane. I never heard anyone call me Hermaphrodite, not once, this board is the first time I've seen it referred to that. If I die at age 95 and looking nothing remotely like a Goddess, then that is fine too, my life has been pretty normal, just had a kick when introducing myself for the first time.

原A lot of people are saying not to name your kid after a goddess, because it's a sacred name or whatever. In my opinion, go ahead and name your kid Aphrodite. It's a beautiful name (for anyone, or even your pets or car). People name their children after religious figures all the time. The majority of names in the Bible are widespread today. Jesus, John, Mary, Joseph are all used extensively across cultures and borders. Using a goddess's name for a person is beautiful and strong.

原I honestly find this name to be ugly looking and ugly sounding.

原I like this name, however, I would pronounce it Af-ro-dite. Not with a Di-Tie sound at the end.

原Another possible disadvantage in America - in my accent the last two syllables are pronounced like "didey" which, at least in my family, was slang for a baby's diaper....And people have already mentioned "afro".

原●Afërditë is Albanian●Afrodita is Basque, Bosnian, Bulgarian, Catalan, Croatian, Galician, Macedonian, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Spanish, and Ukrainian●Afradyta is Belarusian●Afrodite is Dutch and Italian●Afrodito is Esperanto●Aprodita is Filipino●Afrodíti is Modern Greek●Afrodité is Hungarian●Afroditė is Lithuanian●Afrodyta is Polish ●Afrodit is Turkish.

原I think this name is really pretty but whenever I hear about it I think of the character from the House of Night series by PC Cast. And that's definitely not a good association for me- the character was an alcoholic mean girl that everyone hated.Anyway, super beautiful, when I was eight I wanted to name my future daughter Belle Aphrodite :-). I would never use it now for a child, but maybe a character.

原Beautiful name! And a lot to live up to. I feel that if you like a name and you have an actual reason behind the name, then use it! As for no one believing in these gods and goddesses... you are wrong. A lot of Pagans still believe and they are a large group, more so than people know. That would be like me saying no one believed in Jesus anymore. Or in only one god anymore. It's the same thing.

原Beautiful, it'd be, but can you imagine a 70-year-old name this? Use as a nickname.

原A very nice name, though I prefer it pronounced "a-FRO-dight". And as for the goddess association, how many kids in primary/high school know Greek/Roman/whatever mythology these days? So, there shouldn't be any problem naming a child this. And if you don't want to give a person this name, you could use it for a character in a story, which is what I'm doing.

原An episode of The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis had a character named Aphrodite Millican, played by Yvonne Craig. The episode was called The Flying Millicans, and Aphrodite was an acrobat and Dobie's girlfriend for the episode.

原Aphrodite is a beautiful sounding name but it's hard for me to get past the fact that Aphrodite, in Greek mythology, was incredibly shallow and vain. She was an adulterous whore who cheated on her husband because he was ugly and crippled BUT it is true that Aprodite didn't want to marry Hephaestus. Personally, I don't think EVERY child with this name will get teased but I wouldn't name my child Aphrodite.

原Two famous bearers:Aphrodite, a main character in the House of Night book series by PC and Kristin Cast.Aphrodite Jones, an author and host of the crime show: True Crime with Aphrodite Jones.

原How many people are going to recognise "-Aphrodite" in "hermaphrodite"? How many children do you think are even aware of the word "hermaphrodite"?I think this name is perfectly fine on a person. Aphrodite was the goddess of many things; not just sexuality. Love, beauty - do these mean nothing to people? Does the governance of sexuality have to play so heavily on the name?Any Aphrodites out there should wear this name with pride.

原I wouldn't name my child this. It just reminds me too much of "hermaphrodite." It pretty much is "hermaphrodite" without the "herm."

原I think it is pretty, and cool she's the goddess of love, but if your name was that you'd probably get teased a LOT! It would make more sense if you were Greek. My advice is if you like it even thought it's a really unique name I would go for it and not care what anybody thinks:)

原The sound is really nice, but a child named this will be teased because it's part of "hermaphrodite".

原I don't know about naming a child this, but I named my dog this. I call her Ditie for short.

原I loved the name when I thought it was pronounced Af-ro-dight. Now I'm not so sure.

原To close to Hermaphrodite for my liking. I mean take away the Herm she may get teased.

原It is terribly unfortunate that some people are so narrow-minded and ignorant as to assert that any child named Aphrodite would be subject to teasing. Aphrodite may not work as a name in your community, but I assure you that it does pass in many places in the world as a given name just fine. In my course at university there were three girls named Aphrodite, all of Greek heritage.

原After wishing never to be separated from Hermes, Aphrodite's and Hermes's bodies were merged - the first hermaphrodite.

原I doubt this name would lead to teasing. Well, except maybe for afro. But seriously, how many little kids even know about Greek myths? They might think the name is strange or cool because they've never heard of it before, but that's it. And remember, even though there are people out there who'd tease the name, there are also people (friends) who'd support the person with the name.

原I love this name, but I named one of my stuffed bears this. My point is, it sounds too over-the-top on a real person as opposed to, say, a stuffed animal, doll, or pet. Maybe if you're of Greek descent it might work, but otherwise it won't and will cause teasing, considering it sounds like "hermaphrodite".

原Aphrodite is an absolutely beautiful, lovely name (of course). But whenever I see it written down I can't help but thinking of the word 'Hermaphrodite'. Cruel nickname potential.

原Albanian.aphro=afro=to bring near, to draw near, to come neardite=dayIt means to bring the day, morning star, as many Greek names have only meaning in Albanian.

原I personally like the name. I think my child would have a great life if I named her Aphrodite.

原My aunt did just fine, even though the name was not common in her area (in fact, she was probably the only one). But then, she is attractive and friendly.

原It would be quite ironic if a girl named Aphrodite turned out asexual. That, or just unattractive and not very friendly. Of course, this name would surely lead to teasing, possibly even serious bullying. It's over-the-top and pompous on an actual person, and someone with this name will have credibility problems, unless it's common in the area.

原The name is not uncommon in Greece (I have an aunt of this name.) As to those who regard its use for people as "irreverent," that is rubbish. Do you think that Hispanics who name their sons Jesus are being irreverent? Anyhow, this is a goddess that nobody believes in anymore. Besides, her conduct was not always very admirable. (For one thing, like most Greek dieties, she slept around quite a bit.)

原Yes, it does sound beautiful, but it would be just so pompous to name your child something like Aphrodite. Okay, I'll admit that I like the name Athena, but even that is a little much and at least Athena was wise and strong. Aphrodite was a petty, mischievious womanizer. She was more the goddess of infatuation and beauty than love. How could you love someone who had complete domination over you? That's not real love! How could anyone take you seriously if your name was Aphrodite? Anyway, in all the stories she smites anyone who dares compare themselves to her (nevermind actually having the gall to share her name) so watch out!

原A beautiful, beautiful sound, but a stupid, obnoxious and ridiculous name in my opinion. I'm sorry, but I find it silly to name a tiny innocent child an obscure name with the bearer being spoken of in some stories as petty and jealous. I apologize to the people who like this name.

原No matter how exotic and historical this name is, I'd never name my kid that. I wouldn't want them to be stuck with the nickname "Afro" their whole life. Lol :P

原Aphrodite can be used as a name, it sounds very versatile.

原Shame to those who name their child, a thing, a pet or whatever this! It's the name of a Goddess, fools! Use Aphrodisia or Aphrodisio, that's the more proper names to use. ;-)

原Ridiculous, I can't believe some people! They take for granted names that in antiquity, were the equal to Bible prayers. For goodness sake, these names should not be used for people, movies or things! This is complete irreverence.

原"Aphrodite" was the name of a kitten (along with Apollo, named after Greek mythological gods) that Elizabeth Walton gave to the Godseys on "The Waltons." There is also a movie called "Mighty Aphrodite" which was written or something by Woody Allen. Personally, I think this is ok name. It sounds nice and all, but it still gives like a sort of strange feeling. Especially because of its strong link to the name of a goddess, that would make it something rather snooty to name someone this in real life (in my opinion) but for a character I think it's fine.

原This name is gorgeous. If I ever have a daughter I want to name her that. Or asscoiate it in the name somehow. It's beautiful!

原I think the spelling Afrodite is much better.

原The modern Greek pronunciation is ahf-ro-DHEE-tee.

原I named my car Aphrodite, because the color is a really pale, shimmery green. It's my impression of how "sea-foam green" should look. I thought it was fitting, and of course my friends love the name.

原Taken out of context, I can see this really becoming tiresome for a woman who might not want to be seen as a love goddess or would like to be taken seriously. It's a beautiful name, but I think it would cause a lot of trouble for its bearer.

原The name means 'risen from the foam' (I know because I am half Greek) and that is because according to the myth, the goddess of love was born from the foam of the sea at a coast of Cyprus. Apart from that I would also like to inform you that the name is used in modern Greece as well and it is not uncommon.

原On Cyprus she was called Kypris; also known as Cytherea and Aphrodite Ourania [heavenly]; and Aphrodite Pandemos [common]. She was the goddess of love, lust, and beauty. Cytherea Island was the center of her cult. Also worshipped at Athens and Corinth at Aphrodisiac Festivals; and at Paphos Grees [chief worship]. She is depicted with dolphins, doves, swans, pomegranates, and lime trees. She played a role in homosexuality and heterosexuality. Unhappiness to her marriage with Hephaestus caused her to seek out companionship with Adonis. Zeus was her father, Aenaes her son. She is associated with Oreads, nymphs of the mountains. Venus [Roman], Ishtar [Mesopotamia], Astarte [Greek], Turan [Etruscan], Ares, Anchises, and Pygmalion.

原I love this name. I want to name my child Aphrodite. A lot of people say that my child would get picked on. I wouldn't know what middle name would be to go with this though.