Fun Facts About the Name Hades
- 266 babies named Hades: U.S. records list 266 babies given the name Hades from 1880 through 2025. Even 5 girls received the name Hades - about 1 girl for every 52 boys.
What Does the Name Hades Mean?
Hades comes from the ancient Greek name Haidēs (Ἅιδης), also written Aïdēs (Ἀΐδης), and is traditionally explained as "the unseen one" or "the invisible." The usual ancient derivation takes it from the negative prefix a- (ἀ-, "not") plus a form of the verb idein (ἰδεῖν, "to see"), describing a god who is not seen rather than one who cannot see.
That analysis is not settled. Some modern linguists treat the name as pre-Greek, a word inherited from the earlier, non-Greek language of the Aegean that only happens to resemble the Greek wording for "not-seeing." The literal sense, if the Greek derivation holds, is "unseen." The idea of wealth or riches belongs to a separate name, Ploutōn, used as a euphemistic title for the same god.
Hades Name History & Origins
Hades is the name of the Greek god who ruled the underworld, and already in early Greek poetry the same word stands for both the god and his realm, so it can mean the place as well as its ruler. Homeric epic uses Aïdōneus (Ἀϊδωνεύς) alongside Aïdēs; Doric Greek had Aïdas (Ἀΐδας), and Attic prose settled on Haidēs.
Because the name itself was thought unlucky to speak, the Greeks often avoided it and used titles instead: Ploutōn ("the wealthy") and Polydegmōn ("receiver of many," that is, of the dead). The Romans identified the god with their own Dis Pater and called him Pluto, which is why the Greek Hades and the Latin Pluto appear side by side in later European writing. Plato's Cratylus plays with the name, linking it to eidenai ("to know") as well as to "unseen"; that is a philosophical reading rather than a linguistic one.
In the Greek text of the New Testament, Hadēs names the abode of the dead and stands in for the Hebrew Sheol. In English, the name has remained chiefly in classical and biblical contexts, appearing in translations and retellings of Greek myth.
How Popular is the Name Hades?
Hades has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2025. Its best rank was #2,901 in 2025.
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 | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | #16,022 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #2,901 | 43 | 0.0025% |
| 2024 | #3,715 | 30 | 0.0017% |
| 2023 | #3,822 | 29 | 0.0017% |
| 2022 | #3,920 | 28 | 0.0016% |
| 2021 | #4,414 | 23 | 0.0013% |
| 2020 | #3,228 | 35 | 0.0020% |
| 2019 | #6,921 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2018 | #6,478 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2017 | #6,835 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 2016 | #6,863 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 2015 | #9,917 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2014 | #11,196 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2010 | #11,228 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2006 | #12,705 | 5 | 0.0002% |
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.
Explore More Lists with Name Hades
Most Popular Boy Names That Start with H
Unique Short Boy Names That Start with H
How the Name Hades Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You attract success and money. You are a lover of nature and do not need others for your happiness. You are self sufficient. You strive for material success and power and have business sense. You possess strong organizational abilities, can be a good manager, and executive by nature. You are capable of great achievement in business and finance. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
You are always looking for a chance to do your own thing, to be your own person, and to have things done your own way.
✦ Hades's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Hades's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.