Fun Facts About the Name Ariadne
- More than 4 thousand babies named Ariadne: U.S. records list 4,823 babies given the name Ariadne from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Ariadne Mean?
Ariadne is a Greek name of uncertain meaning, often explained as "most holy" or "very holy." It comes from the ancient Greek Ἀριάδνη (Ariadnē). The first part is generally identified with the intensive prefix ἀρι- (ari-), meaning "very" or "most." The second part is less secure: it has been connected with a Cretan Greek word ἀδνός (adnos), "holy" or "pure," related to standard Greek ἁγνός (hagnos). Because that second element is not firmly attested, some reference works describe the name's meaning as unknown. The literal sense, if the Cretan derivation is correct, is "most holy"; later symbolic interpretations of the myth are separate from the word's etymology.
Ariadne Name History & Origins
Ariadne is an ancient Greek name. Its most familiar bearer is the mythical Ariadne, daughter of King Minos of Crete and Pasiphae. In the traditional story, she gives the Athenian hero Theseus a thread so he can escape the Labyrinth, and she later becomes the wife of Dionysus. These episodes appear in Greek literature and art, but they are mythological accounts, not historical records.
The name also belonged to historical people in the Greek-speaking world. Ariadne (c. 450 - 515) was a Byzantine empress, the daughter of Emperor Leo I, and the wife first of Emperor Zeno and then of Emperor Anastasius I. A martyr named Ariadne is venerated in Eastern Orthodox tradition; her surviving accounts are traditional. The name entered other languages in forms such as Ariadna in Russian, Polish, and Spanish, and Arianna in Italian. In English, the name is associated with classical myth and with later works such as Richard Strauss's opera Ariadne auf Naxos (1912/1916).
How Popular is the Name Ariadne?
Ariadne recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 2016. Its best rank was #732 in 2016.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,758 | 115 | 0.0072% |
| 2024 | #1,258 | 184 | 0.0114% |
| 2023 | #1,136 | 213 | 0.0133% |
| 2022 | #1,166 | 207 | 0.0126% |
| 2021 | #1,154 | 212 | 0.0129% |
| 2020 | #1,188 | 195 | 0.0121% |
| 2019 | #1,004 | 257 | 0.0153% |
| 2018 | #934 | 286 | 0.0168% |
| 2017 | #777 | 353 | 0.0205% |
| 2016 | #732 | 389 | 0.0220% |
| 2015 | #771 | 367 | 0.0206% |
| 2014 | #801 | 350 | 0.0196% |
| 2013 | #1,220 | 197 | 0.0112% |
| 2012 | #1,762 | 117 | 0.0066% |
| 2011 | #1,329 | 175 | 0.0099% |
| 2010 | #2,046 | 97 | 0.0055% |
| 2009 | #2,031 | 101 | 0.0055% |
| 2008 | #2,337 | 83 | 0.0044% |
| 2007 | #3,293 | 51 | 0.0027% |
| 2006 | #3,095 | 54 | 0.0028% |
| 2005 | #3,269 | 47 | 0.0025% |
| 2004 | #3,000 | 52 | 0.0028% |
| 2003 | #2,708 | 58 | 0.0032% |
| 2002 | #2,582 | 60 | 0.0033% |
| 2001 | #2,462 | 63 | 0.0035% |
| 2000 | #2,783 | 52 | 0.0029% |
| 1999 | #5,243 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 1998 | #2,735 | 49 | 0.0028% |
| 1997 | #3,555 | 32 | 0.0018% |
| 1996 | #4,467 | 23 | 0.0013% |
| 1995 | #4,109 | 25 | 0.0014% |
| 1994 | #4,125 | 25 | 0.0014% |
| 1993 | #5,014 | 19 | 0.0011% |
| 1992 | #4,390 | 23 | 0.0012% |
| 1991 | #4,512 | 22 | 0.0012% |
| 1990 | #5,309 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 1989 | #5,566 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1988 | #7,157 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1987 | #7,402 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1986 | #5,474 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 1985 | #9,387 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1984 | #7,452 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1983 | #6,254 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1982 | #6,927 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1981 | #7,442 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1980 | #5,567 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1979 | #8,101 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1978 | #7,696 | 7 | 0.0005% |
| 1977 | #8,505 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1976 | #5,238 | 11 | 0.0008% |
| 1975 | #6,531 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1973 | #7,496 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1972 | #5,498 | 9 | 0.0006% |
| 1970 | #5,432 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1969 | #4,444 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 1968 | #4,793 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1967 | #5,481 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1966 | #4,892 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1965 | #3,554 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1964 | #5,501 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1962 | #5,324 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1960 | #4,787 | 8 | 0.0004% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Ariadne Shapes Your Personality and Life?
Powerful and complete. You are good intellectually and require several outlets for your energies. You are not a builder but a planner, and you want others to carry out your plans. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
You are very intuitive. You have a reservoir of inspired wisdom combined with inherited analytical ability, which could reward you through expressions of spiritual leadership, business analysis, marketing, artistic visions, and scientific research. Operating on spiritual side of your individuality can bring you to the great heights, and drop you off if you neglect your spiritual identity. You are always looking for an opportunity to investigate the unknown, to use and show your mental abilities, to find the purpose and meaning of life. You want to grow wise and to understand people and things. You need privacy to replenish your energy. You have a unique way of thinking, intuitive, reflective, absorbing.
✦ Ariadne's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Ariadne's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.