Athene
Greek name meaning "the highest, or pure maiden".
Name Census estimates that about 46 living Americans carry the first name Athene. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Athene today is around 53 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Athene births was 1923 (10 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Athene. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Athene. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
46
~ 1 in 7,451,181 Americans
Peak year
1923
10 babies that year
Average age
53
years old
2003 SSA rank
#14,068
Tracked since 1909
Popularity
Athene: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Athene from the 1900s through to the 2000s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 38 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Athene by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Athene during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Athene
The name Athene is derived from the ancient Greek language, with its origins dating back to the classical era of ancient Greece. It is primarily associated with the Greek goddess Athena, the revered deity of wisdom, courage, and warfare. The name itself is a Latinized form of the Greek word Αθηνά (Athēnā), which is believed to have originated from the ancient Greek word ἀθηρός (athēros), meaning "unwearied" or "indefatigable."
In Greek mythology, Athena was one of the most prominent and powerful deities in the pantheon. She was born from the head of Zeus, the king of the gods, and was revered for her strategic intelligence, skill in battle, and patronage of the arts and crafts. The city of Athens, one of the most influential and culturally significant cities of ancient Greece, was named in her honor and was home to the iconic Parthenon temple, dedicated to Athena.
The name Athene has been recorded in various ancient Greek texts and literary works, including the epic poems of Homer, such as the Iliad and the Odyssey, where Athena is portrayed as a central figure, guiding and protecting the Greek heroes. It also appears in numerous ancient inscriptions, pottery, and other archaeological artifacts from the classical period.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Athene. One of the earliest recorded instances was Athene of Gortyna (c. 5th century BCE), a Greek philosopher and mathematician from the island of Crete, renowned for her contributions to the study of geometry and mechanics.
Another prominent figure was Athene of Damascus (c. 1st century BCE), a renowned Greek philosopher and historian who wrote extensively on the history and culture of the ancient world. Her works, though lost, were highly regarded and cited by later scholars.
In the Middle Ages, Athene de Baux (c. 1200-1257) was a French noblewoman and Countess of Orange, known for her patronage of the arts and her involvement in the religious and political affairs of her time.
During the Renaissance period, Athene Schmalkalden (c. 1500-1570) was a German poet and humanist scholar, renowned for her contributions to the study of classical literature and her eloquent poetic works.
More recently, Athene Donald (born 1954) is a British physicist and academic, currently serving as the Master of Churchill College, Cambridge, and renowned for her research in the field of soft matter physics.
These are just a few examples of individuals throughout history who have borne the name Athene, reflecting its enduring connection to wisdom, courage, and intellectual pursuits, echoing the qualities embodied by the ancient Greek goddess Athena.
People
Athene + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Athene as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with A
Other first names starting with A with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Athene: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Athene?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 46 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Athene going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 7,451,181 US residents.
Is Athene a common name?
We classify Athene as "Very Rare". It ranks above 53.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 135 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Athene most popular?
The single biggest year for Athene was 1923, when 10 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Athene is about 53 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Athene a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Athene in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.