Name
Persephone
Meaning
Persephone is a feminine name of Greek origin meaning “uncertain; one ancient reading is bringer of destruction”.
Persephone, daughter of Demeter, was abducted by Hades and made queen of the underworld, yet her annual return to the surface brings spring, so she rules death and renewal at once. Her name's origin is genuinely obscure, with bringer of destruction one ancient guess, and modern parents drawn to mythology have begun using it in earnest.
Entered the US girls' top 1000 in the 2020s amid the Greek mythology boom.
Popularity in the United States
Girls
Ranked #734 in 2025 · peak #681 in 2022
Data: US Social Security Administration, top-1000 ranks.
At a glance
- Origin
- Greek
- Gender
- Feminine
- Pronounced
- /per-SEF-oh-nee/
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Questions
Persephone is a feminine name of Greek origin meaning “uncertain; one ancient reading is bringer of destruction”. Persephone, daughter of Demeter, was abducted by Hades and made queen of the underworld, yet her annual return to the surface brings spring, so she rules death and renewal at once.
Persephone is traditionally a feminine (girl) name. Entered the US girls' top 1000 in the 2020s amid the Greek mythology boom.
The name Persephone comes from Greek. Persephone, daughter of Demeter, was abducted by Hades and made queen of the underworld, yet her annual return to the surface brings spring, so she rules death and renewal at once. Her name's origin is genuinely obscure, with bringer of destruction one ancient guess, and modern parents drawn to mythology have begun using it in earnest.
Persephone is pronounced per-SEF-oh-nee.
More names that mean death
Names that share this meaning.