Perseus

Meaning of Perseus

Perseus (PUR-see-əs) is the Latinised form of the ancient Greek Περσεύς, a term scholars gloss as “destroyer” or “avenger,” and it belongs to the storied hero who beheaded Medusa, saved Andromeda, and earned a permanent berth among the stars. That celestial promotion supplies additional cachet, lending the name to a prominent northern-sky constellation and the annual Perseid meteor shower that lights up August nights. In contemporary America the moniker sits comfortably outside the mainstream yet shows a slow, measurable climb: Social Security data list only five births in 2008, but 152 by 2024, nudging the name to rank 772. The result is a choice that marries classical gravitas with scientific overtones—at once mythic, astronomical, and still rare enough to stand apart. Its clean three-syllable rhythm fits modern English phonology, while its back-story carries the dry clang of bronze-age heroics rather than modern sentimentality.