Given name & surname
Athens
“from the capital of Greece”
Athens is used as a given name and a surname. One Greek interpretation is “from the capital of Greece.”
Original GreekΆθενς
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Greek interpretation is “from the capital of Greece.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Greek.
How it developed
In English usage, Athens as a surname developed from Αθηναίος.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 2006. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Athens through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 218
- 163 boys · 55 girls
- Most popular year
- 2018
- 20 babies
- 2025
- 15
- #8,329 for boys · #13,395 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +20%
- Rising
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 9 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 8,329 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 6.0% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 15 in 2018. It also appeared in 6 birth records for girls in 2025. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 258 as a first name in 2020; 495 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Athens’s family of names
In English usage, Athens as a surname developed from the Greek form Αθηναίος. Athens has a related form in Atheneos. Athens has a related form in Atheneus.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 4
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 1
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 5
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Athens, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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