It’s a mythological moniker that’s rarely heard in the US – or anywhere, for that matter.
Thanks to Laney McDonald for suggesting today’s intriguing Name of the Day: Xanthe.
If you’ve been scouring your Bullfinch’s for lesser known figures, you might have tripped across Xanthe. At least two bearers of the name appear in myth.
First, Xanthe is one of the Oceanids, the 3,000 daughters of Titans Oceanus and Tethys. (And you had a tough time naming your twins, right?) Each of the Oceanids was assigned some natural dominion – a spring, pond, pasture, cloud or the like. There were also 3,000 brothers to the Oceanids, charged with looking after rivers.
Not all of their names are recorded, but Hesiod lists a bunch of the sibs, including sisters:
- Acaste
- Admete
- Asia
- Callirrhoe
- Calypso
- Cerceis
- Clymene
- Clytie
- Dione
- Doris
- Electra
- Europa
- Eurynome
- Galaxaura
- Hippo
- Ianeria
- Ianthe
- Idyia
- Melodosis
- Menestho
- Metis
- Pasithoe
- Perseis
- Petraea
- Plexhaura
- Pluto
- Polydora
- Prymno
- Rhodea
- Telesto
- Thoe
- Tyche
- Urania
- Zeuxo
And, of course, Xanthe. Compared to some of these, the name seems downright accessible.
A second bearer of the name was an Amazon warrior. Xanthe sometimes appears as an alternate name for Epione, the wife of Asclepius, the Greek god of medicine and a goddess in her own right.
While our pronunciation of this obscure name is ZAN thee, we find references to at least two different sounds: KSAN thee and ZAN thah. Variant Xanthia appears in a few baby name guides, but is even more sparingly used.
Xanthos simply translates to yellow in Greek. Sometimes you’ll find the meaning extended to “fair or fair-haired.” This doesn’t seem an unreasonable stretch – and may explain how Epione picked up the alternate name. But beware a handful of sites that insist that Xanthe means beautiful maiden – it just isn’t so.
She’s never appeared in the US Top 1000, though it can be found in late 19th and early 20th century census and birth records. While many of the bearers also have distinctively Greek surnames, it’s not always the case, suggesting that some parents have always skimmed their Hesiod for baby name inspiration.
It would be a truly unusual choice for a daughter today. And yet we think it’s probably on the right side of obscure. We’re used to Xavier and Xander casting a starting “X” in the role of “Z.” And Zara, Zelda and especially Zoe are familiar choices for girls. Factor in starbaby names like Zavala and Zahara and this name starts to sound reasonable.
We like Xanthe’s history and obscurity, but it would take a bit of determination to make this one work. And yet, with parents developing ever-more tortured respellings of Mackenzie, Michaela and Caitlin in an attempt to stand out, it seems that something like Xanthe would be a more direct route to a distinctive, interesting appellation.
My name is Xanthe (pronounced Zan thee). Although I’ve had my name for more than sixty years, I’m always the only one in the room named Xanthe. When I was in kindergarten, my teacher, Mrs. Wolf, told me there was no such name and that she would call me Zan—all my kindergarten papers have Zan on them, but when I went to first grade, I decided I was Xanthe and not Zan! I know of one other person in my vicinity named Xanthe, and I also knew a Zanthia when was growing up. Thank you for the information about my name—my sister picked it out of a name book at the hospital in the 1950s.
My daughter Xanthe was born in 2013 in IL.
I love the name Xanthe. I’ve never met one. I’m in australia.
My name is Xanthe, i live in Australia. I’ve also met a Xanthe at a Hungry Jacks.
Xanthe is a lovely name. It’s one of my favourites. I think it’s very usable.
I just realized after googling my daughter’s name, Xanthe, that you picked it as your “name of the day” on the day she was born, August 26, 2008. She is now a beautiful golden-haired 5-year old with all the qualities one associates with the name.
I just thought I would share the uncanny coincidence with you!
What a happy coincidence, Tim! Thank you *so* much for sharing!
My name is Xanthia, pronounced Zan-thia. I love it. Everyone has always complimented me on it. I even had a high school friend name her daughter after me. Very unique name.
My name is Xanthé, its pronounced like Zantay. I can honestly say that it is pretty hard to have this name as so many people get the pronunciation wrong and you have to correct them and even after the 5th time they still cant say it. I do find the name interesting… but i do somewhat wish i had a more common easier name.