MEANING & HISTORY
What does Hercules mean?
Hercules is the usual Latin form of Greek Heracles, transmitted through Etruscan Hercle. The Greek name combines Hera, the goddess’s name, with kleos, glory.
Strength is the famous mythological association of the hero, while glory of Hera is the name’s linguistic formation. Keeping those separate prevents the hero’s feats from becoming an invented word root. The Etruscan stage also explains why the Latin spelling is more than a simple letter-for-letter rendering of Greek.
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.
English
- /ˈhɜːkjəliːz/Received-Pronunciation
- /ˈhɜːkjʊliːz/Received-Pronunciation
- /ˈhɝːkjəliːz/US
- /ˈhɝːkjʊliːz/US
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.
EnglishEtymology & source
From Latin Herculēs, from Etruscan 𐌇𐌄𐌓𐌂𐌋𐌄 (hercle), from Ancient Greek Ἡρακλῆς (Hēraklês), apparently cognate of Ἥρα (Hḗra, “Hera”) and, according to Haudry, from Proto-Indo-European *yóh₁r̥ (“year, season”) + κλέος (kléos, “glory”). Doublet of Heracles.
A male given name from Ancient Greek.
Wiktionary: Hercules (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
Use in Philippine-linked records
Public-record transcription
1
eligible source records · 2001
This spelling is reported in an openly licensed transcription of elected-candidate records. This is a record count, not a birth count or national popularity measure.
OpenHalalan / COMELEC ↗PSA · OFFICIAL BIRTH RECORDS
Hercules 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 Hercules
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
- Heracleo·As a Spanish adjective: Herculean
- Hermes·Greek divine name with disputed boundary-marker or earlier roots
- Charles♂Man or freeman
- Helen♀From Greek Helene, often linked with torch
- Heraldo·Portuguese name through Hérard: army and strength
- Herbie·Familiar form of Herbert
- Hermie♂♀Familiar form with several documented Herm-name bases
- Herve♂Breton name family with iron or battle and keen elements
What rhymes with Hercules?
No dictionary-confirmed rhyme match is available for this spelling in the current catalogue.
Explore Hercules further
Follow the sources
- OpenHalalan — pinned 2001 COMELEC transcription (opens in a new tab)
Source-reported given-name form in a row with a separate explicit middle initial; ODbL-1.0.
- COMELEC — 2001 List of Elected Candidates (opens in a new tab)
Original document identified by the transcription; selected PDF entries were spot-checked, not every imported row.
- Wiktionary contributors — Hercules (English) (opens in a new tab)
Language-specific given-name etymology; shared spelling does not prove every bearer has this origin.
- Behind the Name — Hercules (opens in a new tab)
Consulted account of the name’s formation, relevant root elements, or explicitly linked base name.
- Behind the Name — Heracles (opens in a new tab)
Consulted account of the name’s formation, relevant root elements, or explicitly linked base name.