11 Best Greek God Names For Dogs (Bet You Never Thought of #3)

When it comes time to name our animals, we can get a bit hesitant. There’s a lot of the classics to consider, like Lady or Max or Spike, but why not make things a little bit more unique?

We’re going to show you some of the best Greek God names for dogs, and why you should consider them.

For those of you who don’t know mythology, Zeus had a certain amount of… proclivities when it came to sleeping with pretty much anything that moved. Many of the gods and goddesses owe their existence to his complete dedication to sleeping with every pretty woman across the Grecian city-states. If you’re a breeder, and you have a new stud, you might have just found the perfect name.

Pan is an interesting deity, he was the offspring of Hermes, the messenger of the Gods and the realms he was said to rule over were quite diverse. He is traditionally depicted as a half-goat, half-man creature known as a satyr. He spent his time chasing after nymphs, participating in wild revels with Dionysus and generally getting into trouble. His strange physical form was used as a prototype for the traditional image of Satan seen in ancient European art as well.

Even more interestingly, Pan’s name forms the basis of a lot of words in English, including pandemonium and panic. It’s the perfect name for those small, high-energy terriers who can certainly induce a great deal of both in our homes.

Hermes was a strange deity, to say the least, revered by a wide range of people for a lot of different things. His staff, the caduceus is still seen as a symbol of medicine. His main function among the esoteric parts of the Olympian pantheon though was as the messenger for the gods. His natural charisma, vow to never lie, and amazing speed led to him becoming one of the most beloved gods in his pantheon.

It’s the perfect Greek dog name for fast, sleek dogs like greyhounds and whippets. These dogs have all of the qualities traditionally associated with Hermes, including breakneck speed, a lithe build, and a whole lot of likability.

Athena was one of the most widely revered of the ancient Grecian deities. The city-state of Athens had a populace which widely recognized her as one of the greatest of the Olympians. Her birth was strange, even among the Olympians. Zeus impregnated Metis, but Gaia warned him that his daughter would be powerful and willful. So Zeus ate Metis. He suffered from a splitting headache some time later and asked Hephaestus to crack his head open and take a look.

Out sprang Athena, fully formed from Zeus’ head. She rapidly became one of his favorite daughters. It’s an entirely appropriate name for a powerful female dog, especially for those breeds that can be particularly stubborn.

Eris is kind of an overlooked deity, but she took part in one of the most fascinating of the Grecian myths. When she was snubbed for an invite to a wedding, she stole one of the Golden Apples of Immortality from Hera and inscribed upon it “For the Fairest” and tossed it between Athena and Zeus’ wife Hera. The Greek Gods are notoriously jealous and conniving anyways, and this served only to fan a bunch of strife.

She is still revered by the half-serious religion of Discordianism. This will be a very cool name for high-energy and obnoxious female dogs, as they’ll certainly sow a bit of chaos into your life.

Artemis was the product of one of Zeus’ extramarital affairs with Leto. Eager to keep his dalliance hidden from Hera, he transformed the two of them into quails and they got it on. Leto laid an egg, and out popped Apollo and Artemis. Artemis became the Goddess of the Hunt and took a vow of chastity, thus creating the Virgin Huntress archetype most people are familiar with.

For a female hunting dog, there can really be no substitute for this name. It’s dignified, beautiful and represents what these working dogs do for us impeccably. Whether she’s a bloodhound or a pointer, it’s really the perfect thing to call them.

Apollo was the sister of Artemis, and it was his chariot that pulled the sun across the sky. Without it, the Grecians believed, there would be only eternal night. He was the god of many things, music and prophecy, healing and plagues, and one of the most powerful of the Olympians by far.

He even tangled with Lord Zeus at one point, leading to a period in exile for the noble God, but the mere fact that he could even put up a challenge for the Lord of Olympus speaks volumes about his character and abilities.

This Greek God name is well suited for any dog, but particularly those who are yellow in color. Golden retrievers, golden Labradors, and a host of other loyal canines will greatly benefit from this name.

Echo was a beautiful Nymph who caught the attention of Zeus(do you see a pattern here?), but he was caught in the act with her by his wife Hera. Like many of Zeus’ non-deity partners, when they were found out the jealous Hera punished her instead of her husband. She took away Echo’s beautiful voice and cursed her to forever roam the world only able to repeat the last thing she heard.

In time, Echo became the Spirit of Noise and Jabbering. Her voice can still be heard the world over, but we think it makes a beautiful and fitting name for those little dogs which can’t ever seem to stop barking.

Hera was the Goddess of Marriage and the wife of Zeus. How she became the Goddess of Marriage is something of a mystery, considering her own marriage’s rockiness but she was revered as such, as well as respected for the fact that she was the Queen of the Gods.

Hera was often jealous and spiteful, and she quite often punished both Zeus’ partners and the offspring that resulted from these illicit unions with impunity.

It’s still a lovely name, despite the Goddess’ jealous demeanor. It suits large and powerful female dogs much the same way Zeus does, and if you have both you can certainly name them after the “happily” married couple.

Hercules was a mythical figure, the strongest man in the world and the progeny of Zeus and a mortal. This didn’t immediately infer upon him god-hood however, and despite being superhumanly strong his entire life was filled with trials. Many of these trials were the direct results of the actions of Hera, but upon his death, the strong man ascended to Olympus and finally took his place among the Olympic pantheon. 

It’s a name fit for the strongest and bravest dogs, those massive canines like mastiffs which know absolutely no bounds of strength and loyalty. With a name like this,they’re destined for greatness

We hope that we’ve given you some ideas on what to name your dog, drawing upon names from mythology gives your dog a certain mystique which is hard to shake. The Grecian gods, in particular, are well suited for this, especially as their names are still well known in Western culture.

If you liked this list or have your own ideas, leave a comment below.