Persephone

The first name Persephone (Περσεφόνη) has its origins in Greek mythology. Its translation means "the one who brings the harvest" or "the destructive murderess" (see Perseus).

What does the name Persephone mean?

The name Persephone (Περσεφόνη), which comes from Greek mythology, means "the one who brings the harvest" or "the destructive murderess" (see Perseus). Its etymological roots can be found in the ancient Greek terms pérthō (πέρθω), meaning "to plunder," "to devastate," or "to destroy," and phōnḗ ‎(φωνή), which means "sound," "tone," "voice," "language," or "discourse." In Greek mythology, Persephone is a goddess of the dead, the underworld, and fertility. In Roman mythology, she is referred to as Proserpina. She is the daughter of Zeus and his sister Demeter and is often called Kore (Κόρη, "daughter") or Kora. The English pronunciation is per-SEF-o-nee, while the German pronunciation is per-SEH-foh-neh.

Where does the name Persephone come from?

The etymology of Persephone shows that it is an ancient Greek female first name meaning "the one who brings the harvest." The ancient Greek components are pérthō (πέρθω), meaning "to plunder," "to devastate," or "to destroy," and phōnḗ ‎(φωνή), which stands for "sound," "tone," "voice," "language," or "discourse." The name has its roots in Greek.

How do you pronounce Persephone?

The pronunciation of the name Persephone is four to five syllables and is characterized by a variety of sounds. It is pronounced as "Per-se-fo-ne" [pɛʁzeˈfoːnə], where a prominent beginning meets an elongated, rounded middle syllable. The combination of s- and f-sounds creates a subtle inner tension before the gentle -ne fades away. This gives Persephone a poetic and elevated aura – melodic, mysterious, and sonically impressive.

Popularity

In Germany, Persephone is a common first name and currently ranks 3,210th on the list of the most popular female baby names. Its best ranking was in 2013 at 2,584th place. In the last ten years, the name has been given about 30 times, placing it 4,871st in the ten-year statistics. From 2010 to 2024, it ranks 4,899th.

Nicknames & pet names

Ersi / Perce / Percy / Perry / Pers / Persa / Persi / Pessy / Phoni / Seph / Sephi / Sephy

Famous people

• Persephone (Greek goddess or queen of the underworld and wife of Hades)
• Persephone Porter-Peregrin (fictional character from Kerstin Gier's Silver Trilogy)