Athena is a name of Greek origin, derived from the goddess of wisdom, warfare, and handicraft in ancient Greek mythology. The meaning of the name is unknown, but it is likely that the goddess's name originated from the city of Athens, rather than the reverse, as the earliest known mention of the city's name predates that of the goddess in Mycenaean Greek inscriptions from the 15th century BC.EtymologyThe name Athena is perhaps pre-Greek in origin, with no clear Indo-European etymology. The goddess was also known as Athene (Greek: Αθηνη), and often bore the epithet Pallas. In Mycenaean Linear B tablets, the name appears as a-ta-na-po-ti-ni-ja ("Athena the mistress"), confirming her worship during the Bronze Age. The city of Athens in Greece shares her name, and she was its patron deity.Mythology and cultural significanceAccording to the Theogony of Hesiod, Athena was the daughter of Zeus and Metis (goddess of wisdom). A prophecy foretold that Metis would bear a child more powerful than Zeus, so Zeus swallowed Metis, but afterward suffered a terrible headache. The god Hephaestus split his head with an axe, and Athena sprang forth fully grown and armed. She was a virgin goddess, associated with the owl, the olive tree, and the armored warrior. As the patron of Athens, she gave the city its first olive tree, which sprouted on the Acropolis during a contest with Poseidon. She was also known as Athena Parthenos ("Athena the Virgin"), and the Parthenon on the Acropolis was built in her honor. The name became popular among early Christians, and in later centuries it was revived in the Renaissance and modern eras, especially among English speakers.Notable bearersAthena Gerber (born 1962), American college basketball player and coachAthena Karkanis (born 1983), Canadian voice actress and actressAthena Massey (born 1970), American actress and modelAthena Tacou (born 1936), Greek painterAthena, a character in Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson seriesRelated forms and distributionAs a given name, Athena has been in use across many cultures influenced by Greek mythology. Its variants include Athene (Greek mythology), French Athéna, modern Greek Athina, Icelandic Aþena, Romanian Atena, Lithuanian Atėnė, and Ukrainian Afina.In modern English-speaking countries, Athena remains popular, ranking in the top 100 names for newborn girls in the United States since 20166. The name is also common in Greece, Spain (often as Aitana), and other European nations due to its timeless mythological resonance.