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Ulyses Name Meaning & Historical Trends

Ulyses

Pronunciation: yoo-LISS-eez / YOO-luh-seez

Gender Boy
BOYS RANK
#9,638
TREND
1,078
Peak Years
1998, 2002, 2001
Lowest Years
1958, 1974, 1961
Energy Archetype
Talented & Charming

Rank shows the name’s position among U.S. baby names for each gender in 2025. Trend shows how many places it rose or fell since 2024. Rank 1 is the most popular. Based on U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA) data. Peak and lowest years are based on the number of boys named Ulyses in the available records.

Fun Facts About the Name Ulyses

  • More than 1 thousand babies named Ulyses: U.S. records list 1,446 babies given the name Ulyses from 1880 through 2025.

What Does the Name Ulyses Mean?

Ulyses is a variant spelling of Ulysses, a name whose meaning is not securely known. It descends from the Greek name Odysseus (Ὀδυσσεύς), the hero of Homer's Odyssey, which passed into Latin and then into English. Ancient Greek writers connected Odysseus with the verb ὀδύσσομαι (odyssomai), "to hate" or "to be angry with," which gives a sense such as "hated" or "hateful." Many modern scholars regard that link as a traditional or folk etymology rather than a demonstrated root.

Because the Greek form does not fit ordinary Greek word patterns neatly, some scholars treat the name as pre-Greek - borrowed from an older, non-Greek language of the Aegean - in which case its original meaning is simply unknown. Latin had two forms of the name, the older Ulixes and the later Ulysses, and English took the second. The single-s spelling Ulyses matches the pattern of forms such as Spanish Ulises, but in English it is an alternate spelling of the same name, not a separate name with its own meaning.

Ulyses Name History & Origins

The name traces to Odysseus, the Greek hero of Homer's Odyssey. Greek had several dialect forms, including Oulixes and Olysseus, and it was through a form of this kind that the name entered Latin. The Latin Ulixes appears in the earliest Latin literature, in the third-century BC Latin version of the Odyssey by Livius Andronicus; the form Ulysses is also found in classical Latin and is the one English adopted.

In the Odyssey, Odysseus gives the Cyclops Polyphemus the false name Outis, "No one," a Greek pun that lets him escape when the blinded giant calls for help. That wordplay belongs to the story and is separate from the origin of the name itself. In later literature, Dante placed Ulysses in the eighth circle of Hell in the Inferno, and Alfred, Lord Tennyson wrote a well-known poem titled "Ulysses" in 1842. James Joyce used the name as the title of his 1922 novel. These are literary uses of a long-established name, not its source.

In the United States the name is closely associated with Ulysses S. Grant (1822 - 1885), whose birth name was Hiram Ulysses Grant. The initial "S." came from an error on the papers nominating him to West Point, where his name was written as Ulysses S. Grant; he kept the form afterward. The spelling Ulyses is a less common English variant of the usual Ulysses, and the usual forms of the name in other languages include Italian Ulisse, Spanish Ulises, and French Ulysse.

How Popular is the Name Ulyses?

Ulyses 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 1998. Its best rank was #1,084 in 1905.

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.

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 Ulyses Shapes Your Personality and Life?

You have talent, charm and luck. You can succeed in art and in any educational occupation. You attract peculiar experiences. Your power and protection lies in spiritual side of life. You are an enthusiastic collector and you will be tenacious in holding onto the things you accumulate. You have a good memory and should make an effort to have a positive attitude. Emergencies may raise your intuitive abilities in order to resolve conflict or situation. You become very creative under the pressure, and have quite original ideas to make the best out of it.

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.

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