The baby name Ulysses steps right out of myth and onto the silver screen – again – in the summer of 2026.
Thanks to Darja for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day.
WHAT DOES THE NAME ULYSSES MEAN?
In many cases, 21st century American parents prefer the Greek over the Roman mythological name. Athena rather than Minerva; Ares over Mars.
The opposite is true for Ulysses.
The original Greek name is Odysseus, but we tend to call him by the Latin form. That’s true even though the clever military leader fought with the Greeks during the Trojan War.
In Homer’s Iliad, it’s Odysseus who thinks up the Trojan Horse strategy. Victorious, he and his men head home. That’s the basis of the sequel – Homer’s Odyssey. The second story calls on the hero to use his wits again and again as he is delayed and waylaid and generally challenged across many a year.
We generally associate the name Odysseus with a Greek word meaning “to hate” or maybe “to grumble.” That’s not exactly an appealing meaning.
But so powerful and enduring is this story that both the Greek and Latin forms read differently in the 21st century. They suggest adventure. After all, an odyssey is a long journey with plenty of excitement along the way, named for the hero’s journey.
As for the change from D to L? Earlier forms of Odysseus in Greek included variants like Olusseus.
LITERARY ULYSSES
We’ve been translating and reading Homer’s worksforever.
It has inspired works of art and other interpretations across time, too.
Tennyson’s 1842 poem “Ulysses” is famous for this line: “To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.”
Between 1918 and 1922 Irish author James Joyce published his Ulysses as a serial. On the surface, it tells the story of ordinary Leopold Bloom and his life in Dublin. But it’s also a parallel to the ancient Odysseus, hence the novel’s name. It’s possible to map the story’s locations on to the real-life city that Joyce knew.
The novel makes for a wild ride – a collection of techniques that Joyce correctly forecast would be the subject of debates for decades to come. While there’s no character by the name, say Ulysses today, and at least some will hear it as a modernist literary reference.
19TH CENTURY AMERICA
Of course, Ulysses has been used as a given name over the years.
Born Hiram Ulysses Grant in Ohio, his name was incorrectly recorded on his nomination to West Point. Ulysses S. Grant was admitted to the military academy, and the name stuck. At school, he was nicknamed Sam, from his initials – U.S., for Uncle Sam.
Grant went on to lead the Union Army to victory during the American Civil War. In 1868, he was elected President of the United States, and served two terms. After leaving office, he embarked on an odyssey of his own – a pricey world tour with his family.
Late in life, he penned his memoirs, and his writing cemented his reputation while earning him a tidy sum.
But Grant wasn’t the only real-life Ulysses across the years. Others include:
- The Grant family passed the name on for generations, at least until Ulysses S. Grant IV named his only son George.
- Ulysses Doubleday, born in 1792, served as a US Congressman from New York. There’s also a Ulysses Mercur, a Congressman from Pennsylvania a few years later.
- Ulysses Daily was among the first African-American physicians in the US.
- Dancer-turned-choreographer Ulysses Dove takes the name in a creative direction, as does sculptor Ulysses Ricci.
- Athletes include baseball’s Ulysses Lupien – who answered to Tony – and Ulysses Stoner, who preferred Lil.
ULYSSES IN THE 20th and 21st CENTURIES
Ulysses is that rare character from myth that everyone recognizes.Kirk Douglasplayed him in a 1955 film adaptation, titled simply Ulysses.
Matt Damon is set to star in Christopher Nolan’s epic The Odyssey in the summer of 2026. He’ll answer to Odysseus for the role.
Worth noting: while there’s no question that the character is intended as a hero, but that doesn’t mean he’s all good. Clever? Yes, but also sometimes manipulative. He’s brave and resourceful, but also sometimes vengeful. Then again,
In 1999, Kevin Kline played President Grant in steampunk Western comedy Wild, Wild West. Kline also played US Marshal Artemus Gordon. He and Will Smith, playing a former Union army officer named Jim West, were set to take down a bad guy.
More than one minor character in the Marvel universe of comic books has answered to the name.
Lastly, here’s a different kind of adventure: NASA partnered with the European Space Agency to send the Ulysses spacecraft to orbit the sun in 1990. It continued to operate into 2008.
HOW POPULAR IS THE NAME ULYSSES?
Names borrowed from antiquity enjoyed a moment in 19th century America. Homer and Horace ranked in the Top 100. Virgil wasn’t far behind.
In fact, Ulysses ranked in the US Top 1000 for years – every year from 1888 through 2002, with a brief re-apperance in 2005.
Wild, Wild West seems to have given the name a tiny boost in 1999.
As of 2025, 169 boys received the name. That’s relatively popular, if not in the Top 1000.
Worth noting: Ulises, the Spanish spelling, ranked in the US Top 1000 as recently as 2024.
ANCIENT OPTION
Ulysses might seems a little extreme. Except we’re naming our children Maximus and Atticus, Titus, Augusts, and Julius. In that ancient company, Ulysses fits right in.
If you’re after a name with history to spare, one that suggests adventure and daring, too, then borrowing this hero’s name could be the right choice.
What do you think of the baby name Ulysses?
First published on February 3, 2011, this post was revised on July 21, 2015 and July 6, 2026.
My husband and I are expecting our first and decided long ago to use Ulysses Grant as the baby’s name if it’s a boy. It’s an old family name on his side and we both love it but it’s like tethering ourselves to a mast in a storm. Everybody hates it and I expect most will as we live in the south. I really don’t care about popular opinion though. We plan on using Grant as his nickname but love the sound of all three names together.
I love this name but as an adoptive first time single parent standing in court in Armenia I wimped out and used a backup name instead, a very boring ‘James’. I still have angst over not choosing it but caved to pressure of EVERYONE in my life who at best laughed and treated it as a joke. At worst my adoption facilitator suggested I pick a different name and change it when got back to US because worried a judge might see “such an odd name as sign of potential unstable parenting”. Too boot, my son who is now 10, adopted at age 3, still uses his orphanage given name of Karen (pronounced Kuh-run which I’m told is a common and very masculine name in Armenia). He does say he is glad I did not name him Ulysses (whaa): actually when I first told him it was one I considered he laughed and thought I was joking too.
Interesting story, Sue – thanks so very much for sharing! I wonder if the facilitator’s perspective was accurate, or if it reflected her own concerns? It seems like an Armenian court would have a hard time distinguished between our normal (Madison, Liam, Jayden) and something unusual like Ulysses. But it sounds perfectly plausible, so maybe …
Funny how kids have ideas about their own names from such young ages …
My grandfather was named Ulysses Shakespeare JR. To him, the name was a burden as he was known at school as “Useless”. He went by U.S., though-which I love.
Ulysses is definitely a front-runner for me, and not just for my familial relationship with the name. I love it’s aged feel without being too exotic. It’s got a good history and a strong feel to it.
Mark actually suggested Ulysses for this baby, but the name reads just a wee bit too American for me to use without somehow feeling unpatriotic! Another drawback is the name’s similarity to the word “useless”. All the same, I do in fact like both the name and its history.
I love this name. The Tennyson poem is a personal favorite & in elementary school, I found that Ulysses S. Grant & I share a birthday. I’d probably use it as a middle name.
I’ve heard the story that Ulysses Grant was happy to go along with the inadvertent name change because he was always embarrassed that his given name, Hiram Ulysses Grant, spelled the word HUG!
“Tales of Brave Ulysses” was a great song by Cream in the late ’60s. (Most names I like have some kind of musical association, it seems.)
This is a nice, offbeat name, but not so “out there” as to be unusable. I never realized Ulysses and Odysseus were the same person — thank you for that little tidbit. With Penelope as one of my favorite girls’ names, you’d think I would have known that. 🙂
I’ve liked Ulysses since high school, when we studied the Odyssey. Like Lola mentioned, Ulysses would make a interesting and unexpected middle name.
Peter Fonda played a man named Ulysses in Ulee’s Gold, it wasn’t a big blockbuster, but it’s definately worth watching on netflix.
definitely, not definately
I really like Ulysses. I’m surprised he’s as popular as he is; he would fit right in with Julius and Atticus. Like many other ends-in-s boys names, Ulysses feels strong without being uber-masculine.
I agree with Lola that Uly could be a good nickname, although I think the name stands on its own quite nicely. Ulysses is definitely one to consider if you want a strong name that people have heard of but is still uncommon. The history of the president is really nice as well. Thumbs up from me 🙂
After thinking about him for a minute, I find I firmly like Ulysses! He’s got the same feel Ambrose has (and I think everyone knows how I love Ambrose). I like Odysseus by association but wouuld happily use Ulysses in the middle. Henry Ulysses perhaps? Well, I have to think more on placement but Yeah, he’s fabulously solid. Uly (Yoo -lee) would be a neat nickname, too.
Before I really start rambling, I’ll end with Ulysses is Awesome! 🙂