MEANING & HISTORY
What does Ariadne mean?
Ariadne is an ancient Greek personal name famous from the story of Theseus and the Labyrinth. Its traditional analysis combines an intensifying element with a Cretan word for holy, yielding most holy.
The consulted editorial source also notes scholarly objections and a possible pre-Greek origin. That makes the interpretation a proposal rather than a guaranteed literal meaning. The Greek borrowing is documented in both English and Cebuano.
Ariadne and Ariadna are related transmitted forms, while exact spellings should remain distinct.
References for this explanation
Pronunciation & syllables
Dictionary readings are kept by language. Select the reading that matches your intended pronunciation. Dots show the source’s written divisions; they are not a universal syllable count across languages.
Wiktionary contributors / Kaikki / Wiktextract · CC BY-SA 4.0
Origin and name formation
Language-specific accounts from the dictionary. A shared spelling can have more than one history.
CebuanoEtymology & source
From Ancient Greek Ἀριάδνη (Ariádnē).
a female given name
Wiktionary: Ariadne (Cebuano) ↗ · Contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
EnglishEtymology & source
From Ancient Greek Ἀριάδνη (Ariádnē).
A female given name from Ancient Greek.
Wiktionary: Ariadne (English) ↗ · Contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
Adapted from Wiktionary contributors via Kaikki/Wiktextract. Source accounts remain in their original English; editorial summaries and filters are adapted. Attribution and downloads
PSA · OFFICIAL BIRTH RECORDS
Ariadne in the birth records
Exact spelling and stated year in the published name tables. Read the counts as individual snapshots.
Tables included: 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2022, 2023 and 2024. The 2016 fact sheet lists five names per sex; the later tables include ten. Missing counts are not inferred. Sex categories follow the official tables, independently of dictionary gender labels. Explore the official tables →
Similar names to Ariadne
Names with a similar opening or ending, ordered by spelling distance. Similar spelling does not imply the same meaning or origin.
Names in this collection
- Ariane♀French form of the Greek name Ariadne
- Arianne♀Variant of Ariane, from Greek Ariadne
- Ariana♀Form of Ariadne; most holy
- Arcadio♂From Arcadius/Arkadios: of Arcadia
- Aria♂♀Song or melody in the Italian-derived account
- Arielle♀French form of Ariel; lion of God
- Arlene♀Variant of Arline, a 19th-century literary name
- Arman♂Cebuano Armand/Armando shortening; Persian wish-name also exists
What rhymes with Ariadne?
No dictionary-confirmed rhyme match is available for this spelling in the current catalogue.
Names with a similar written ending
Spelling suggestions; these are not verified phonetic rhymes.
Explore Ariadne further
Follow the sources
- Wiktionary contributors — Ariadne (Cebuano) (opens in a new tab)
Explicit given-name sense and separately attributed etymology; no birth-frequency claim.
- Wiktionary contributors — Ariadne (English) (opens in a new tab)
Language-specific given-name etymology; shared spelling does not prove every bearer has this origin.
- Behind the Name — ariadne (opens in a new tab)
Consulted editorial entry, not user submissions: Qualified most-holy analysis; scholarly pre-Greek alternative explicitly noted.