Fun Facts About the Name Hymen
- 285 babies named Hymen: U.S. records list 285 babies given the name Hymen from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Hymen Mean?
Hymen is the short form of the Greek name Hymenaios (Ὑμέναιος), the name of the Greek god of marriage. It comes from the Greek noun hymēn (ὑμήν), meaning "membrane" or "thin skin" - the same word behind the English anatomical term hymen. Greek also used hymēn and hymenaios for the wedding song, so the god's name, the bridal song, and the anatomical word all trace back to one noun.
The derivation is not entirely settled. Some ancient writers linked Hymenaios to hymnos (ὕμνος), "song," the source of English hymn, but that is a separate Greek word, and modern etymologists usually keep the two apart. The origin in hymēn, "membrane," is the usual explanation, though the exact sense that produced the god's name is uncertain.
Separately, Hymen has been used in English as a spelling of Hyman, an Anglicized form of the Yiddish Chaim, from Hebrew ḥayyim, "life." That use is unrelated to the Greek name and accounts for the second meaning above.
Hymen Name History & Origins
In Greek poetry and cult, Hymen (also Hymenaios) was invoked at weddings. The bridal song's refrain, "Hymen, O Hymenaie," appears in Greek lyric and drama, including Sappho and Euripides, and the figure was carried into Roman poetry, notably in Catullus's wedding poems (61 and 62) and in Ovid. He was pictured as a young man, often carrying a bridal torch.
The mythological accounts differ. Hymenaios was variously described as a son of Apollo and a Muse (Calliope or Urania), as a son of Dionysus and Aphrodite, or as a handsome young Athenian who died on his wedding day and was honored in the marriage song. These are competing traditional stories rather than one fixed narrative.
In English-speaking countries the name has been used for boys, though it has never been common. In literature it is chiefly the classical god who appears, as in Ben Jonson's masque Hymenaei (1606) and in the figure of Hymen at the close of Shakespeare's As You Like It; these are uses of the Roman god, not the source of the name. The name grew rare in the 20th century, and the identical Greek-derived anatomical word now dominates everyday use of the spelling.
How Popular is the Name Hymen?
Hymen recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 1918. Its best rank was #956 in 1913.
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 | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1931 | #4,028 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1928 | #4,422 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1927 | #3,621 | 7 | 0.0006% |
| 1925 | #3,023 | 9 | 0.0008% |
| 1924 | #2,734 | 11 | 0.0010% |
| 1923 | #3,634 | 7 | 0.0006% |
| 1922 | #2,287 | 14 | 0.0013% |
| 1921 | #1,862 | 19 | 0.0017% |
| 1920 | #2,086 | 16 | 0.0015% |
| 1919 | #1,598 | 22 | 0.0022% |
| 1918 | #1,270 | 31 | 0.0031% |
| 1917 | #1,616 | 21 | 0.0023% |
| 1916 | #1,665 | 19 | 0.0021% |
| 1915 | #1,483 | 22 | 0.0026% |
| 1914 | #1,035 | 30 | 0.0046% |
| 1913 | #956 | 27 | 0.0053% |
| 1912 | #1,959 | 8 | 0.0019% |
| 1911 | #1,010 | 12 | 0.0053% |
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 Hymen 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 inventive, intuitive and extremely methodical. Since your will is so strong, you are hard to convince. You also dislike advice. You love beauty and philosophy, and you desire achievement. You have a strong need for freedom - physical, mental and spiritual.
You are always looking for an opportunity to achieve financial and emotional security. You are basically peacemaker. You understand the law of harmony and desire to balance your life with those around you. You may feel incomplete without someone to share your love, ideals, wealth or work. You can be very sensitive and could appear a bit shy and perceptive. You have developed intuition, patience and the ability to nurture others. You can achieve the state of happiness if you are willing to accept your needs in a complimentary relationship and go to create them.
✦ Hymen's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Hymen's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.