Iro is a modern Greek female given name, effectively a transliteration of Hero. In Greek mythology, Hero was a priestess of Aphrodite who lived in a tower at Sestos, on the European side of the Hellespont. Each night, her lover Leander swam across the strait from Abydos to meet her, guided by a lamp she would light. One stormy night, the lamp was extinguished and Leander drowned; Hero, upon discovering his body, threw herself into the sea. The story, known from the poems of Musaeus and Ovid, became a classic tale of tragic love. In modern Greek, the name is often spelled as Ηρώ (Iro) and pronounced with two syllables: EE-ro. It appeared in the early 20th-century revival of ancient Greek names, and while it remains relatively rare, it is used in Greece and the Greek diaspora. Beyond Greek usage, Iro also exists as a unisex given name in Finland, where it is considered a rare Karelian diminutive, related to names like Ira or Irja. According to August 2025 data from the Digital and Population Data Services Agency of Finland, there were 11 male and 28 female individuals with Iro as a first name, and some as a middle name. However, the Finnish masculine form is more common, and the name is of entirely different origin, likely derived from Finnish iro meaning "anger" or "wrath" as a byname. The Finnish usage is unrelated to Hero, and the name here is unisex with male predominance. In culture, the Greek form Iro is associated with the legend of Hero and Leander, which has inspired countless artworks, operas, and literary retellings throughout the centuries. The name conveys a sense of devotion and tragedy, evoking the determined love and eventual demise of the mythological heroine. Variant Forms Hero (original ancient Greek) Ηρώ (Iro, modern Greek spelling) Key Facts Meaning: Heroine, a reinterpretation of the my… Origin: Modern Greek, derived from ancient Greek ἥρως (hero) Type: First name (feminine) Usage regions: Greece, Finnish (rarely, as unisex)