Given name

Persephone

Persephone is a feminine given name from Ancient Greek.

Original GreekΠερσεφόνη

Meaning & origin

Where it comes from

An origin associated with this spelling is Greek.

How it developed

From Ancient Greek Περσεφόνη; its root is Proto-Indo-European *pers-.

Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)

The story

In mythological stories, Persephone is associated with the daughter of Demeter and Zeus.

Persephone through the years

Babies since 1880
4,960
0 boys · 4,960 girls
Most popular year
2022
429 babies
2025
372
#735 for girls
2021–25 vs 2016–20
+51%
Rising fast
0100200300198020002025Highest share 2022231
Persephone in U.S. Social Security birth records, 1962–2025, per million girls born. Years with fewer than five births for a sex are not published and appear as zero. Use the arrow keys to step through years.

Where it’s given

Most at home inNew York, Texas, California
FewerMore, relative to births Not published
2025 births by state of birth. Tiles are equal-sized so small states stay visible. Highest rates: New York (24), Texas (35), California (33).

By the numbers

In 2025, this name appeared in 372 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 735 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 50.9% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (35). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 2,473 as a first name in 2020.

From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.

Persephone’s family of names

Persephone has a related form in Persefone. Persephone has a related form in Persefonee. Persephone has a related form in Persefoney.

Walk Persephone’s family in the name graph

PersephonePersephoniePersefoniPersephonyPersephoniPersefonePersefoneePersefoneyPersefoniePersephoneePersephoneyPersefonyΠερσεφόνηПерсефона

Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.

Hover or tab through the constellation to see how each name is related. Bigger dots are names more people in the U.S. share.

Across languages 2

Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.

Similar names

If you love Persephone, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.

Greek · Modern

Nyx

39RareRising fast

22% boys · 78% girls

Greek · Modern

Theia

“a goddess”

39RareSteady

>99% girls

Greek · Modern

Hestia

16Very rareRising fast

>99% girls

Greek · Modern

Siren

Siren is a surname from Swedish. It is used in Finnish.

17Very rareRising

4% boys · 96% girls

Greek · Modern

Maera

“shining”

0Not recently recorded

>99% girls

Greek · Modern

Ismene

Ismene is a feminine given name from Ancient Greek.

0Not recently recorded

>99% girls

Greek · Modern

Adonia

“God is my lord”

11Very rare

>99% girls

Modern

Zariah

Zariah is a feminine given name.

61FamiliarSteady

1% boys · 99% girls

Sibling ideas

Names that share Persephone’s feel without repeating its first letter or rhyming with it.

A brother for Persephone

A sister for Persephone