Fun Facts About the Name Poseidon
- 342 babies named Poseidon: U.S. records list 342 babies given the name Poseidon from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Poseidon Mean?
Poseidon is the English form of the ancient Greek name Ποσειδῶν (Poseidōn), the name of the Greek god of the sea, earthquakes, and horses. The meaning of the name is uncertain. The earliest attested Greek form is Mycenaean po-se-da-o, and later Greek had dialect forms such as Doric Ποτειδάν (Poteidan), so the name changed shape over time and its original sense is not securely recoverable.
Several explanations have been proposed. One old suggestion derives the first part from πόσις (posis), meaning lord or husband, and the second from δᾶ (dā), a Doric word for earth, giving a sense such as lord of the earth or husband of the earth. Another proposal connects the second element with an Indo-European root for water or river, which would suggest lord of the waters. Some scholars instead treat the name as pre-Greek, meaning it may come from a language spoken in the Aegean before Greek and may have no clear Greek etymology. None of these explanations is accepted by all scholars.
The familiar titles Ἐνοσίχθων (Enosichthon) and Ἐννοσίγαιος (Ennosigaios), both meaning Earth-shaker, are epithets describing the god's power, not etymologies of the name Poseidon.
Poseidon Name History & Origins
The name is attested in Mycenaean Greek as po-se-da-o in Linear B tablets from Pylos and Knossos, written in the second half of the second millennium BC. This is earlier than any Greek alphabetic text. The Mycenaean spelling is usually reconstructed as Poseidaōn. In the alphabetic period, Homeric Greek has Ποσειδάων (Poseidaōn), and classical Attic Greek has Ποσειδῶν (Poseidōn). Doric Greek shows forms such as Ποτειδάν (Poteidan). The change from Poseidaōn to Poseidōn reflects the regular contraction of vowels in Attic Greek.
In myth, Poseidon was a son of Cronus and Rhea and a brother of Zeus and Hades. After the overthrow of the Titans, the three brothers divided the cosmos: Zeus received the sky, Hades the underworld, and Poseidon the sea. Greek religion honored him at coastal sanctuaries, including Cape Sounion in Attica; in Athens, he was associated with the Erechtheion on the Acropolis, where the contest between Poseidon and Athena for the city was commemorated. Homer and Hesiod present him as a powerful god who could stir the sea and shake the earth.
The English form Poseidon comes from the Greek name and is the standard English designation for the god. The Roman god of the sea was called Neptune, a different name with a separate origin; the two were identified with each other in antiquity. In English, Poseidon is chiefly known from classical mythology rather than from a long tradition of personal use.
How Popular is the Name Poseidon?
Poseidon 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 2022. Its best rank was #3,515 in 2022.
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 | #4,668 | 22 | 0.0013% |
| 2024 | #5,816 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 2023 | #4,846 | 21 | 0.0012% |
| 2022 | #3,515 | 33 | 0.0019% |
| 2021 | #3,556 | 32 | 0.0018% |
| 2020 | #3,995 | 26 | 0.0015% |
| 2019 | #3,614 | 31 | 0.0017% |
| 2018 | #3,863 | 28 | 0.0015% |
| 2017 | #5,065 | 19 | 0.0010% |
| 2016 | #3,961 | 27 | 0.0014% |
| 2015 | #4,662 | 21 | 0.0011% |
| 2014 | #5,422 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 2013 | #5,585 | 16 | 0.0008% |
| 2012 | #6,225 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 2011 | #7,927 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2010 | #8,617 | 9 | 0.0005% |
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 Poseidon Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You have a power of expression, either in speaking or writing. You are in favor for studying and research. You are clever, clear-sighted and intellectual. You don't like to let others know your true feelings. You might be atheistic or agnostic. You are frank, methodical and believe in law, system and order.
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.
✦ Poseidon's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Poseidon's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.