Roman Mythology
“Gods & legends of ancient Rome”
These names come from Roman mythology — the gods, heroes, and legends of ancient Rome. As Rome grew, it absorbed much of Greek myth and gave the gods new names: Zeus became Jupiter, Hera became Juno, Ares became Mars, and Aphrodite became Venus, each one a story retold in Latin.
Victoria
Victory
Camila
Young ceremonial attendant
Luna
The moon
Diana
Divine, heavenly, or luminous
Aurora
Dawn
Sylvia
From the forest
Camilla
Young ceremonial attendant
Maia
Great or mother
Octavia
Eighth
Aurelia
The golden one
Did you know that Roman gods are all around us on the calendar and in the sky? January is named for two-faced Janus, god of beginnings; March for Mars, god of war; June for Juno, queen of the gods. Look up and you'll find them again — Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, and Neptune all carry the names of Roman deities.
Silvia
From the forest
Flora
Flower
Sol
Sun
Terra
Earth or land
Venus
Love, desire, or charm
Minerva
Of the mind; intellect
Juno
Queen of the heavens
Marius
Male or of the sea
Jupiter
Sky father or supreme god
Aurelius
Golden
Lavinia
From Lavinium; legendary mother of the Roman people.
Mars
Of Mars; God of War
Sylvan
Of the forest
Caia
To rejoice
Cornelia
Horn; strong-willed
Pax
Peace
Lavina
Purity or woman of Rome
Junia
Born in June; youthful; queen of heaven
Lucina
Grove; light; she who brings light
Nona
The ninth
Much of what we know was set down by Roman poets — Virgil's Aeneid (around 19 BC) and Ovid's Metamorphoses (8 AD). The Aeneid traces Rome's very founding to Aeneas, a Trojan hero who escaped the fall of Troy, tying the new empire's story straight back to the legends of Greece.
Aurea
Golden
Aeneas
Praiseworthy or to praise
Fortune
Luck, fate, or wealth
Romulo
Man of Rome
Hercules
Glory of Hera
Remus
Unknown; traditionally associated with the founder of Rome.
Romulus
Of Rome
Mercury
Messenger of the gods or the element quicksilver
Felicitas
Good fortune, luck, or happiness
Levana
White, moon
Jove
Jupiter; sky father
Vesta
Pure; goddess of the hearth
Aradia
Messianic figure or goddess in Italian folklore
Saturn
Sower of seeds or the Roman god of agriculture.
Laetitia
Joy, happiness, or gladness
Sylvanus
Of the forest
Accalia
She-wolf
Fauna
Goddess of fertility and the earth