MEANING & HISTORY
What does Rhea mean?
Rhea continues Greek Rhéa, the name of the Titan who was mother of Zeus and several other Olympian gods. Its ancient derivation is debated.
Greek words associated with flowing have sometimes been proposed, but the mythology is firmer evidence than the popular one-word gloss flowing. The name reached English through classical Greek and Latin traditions, and Cebuano records a borrowing from English. Its mythological identity provides a precise explanation without settling the older root.
References for this explanation
Pronunciation & syllables
Synthetic voice reading
Wiktionary / Kaikki / Wiktextract · CC BY-SA 4.0
Origin and name formation
Greek
Dictionary accounts by language
Cebuano
From English Rhea, from Ancient Greek Ῥέα (Rhéa).
a female given name from English
English
Internationalism. Learned borrowing from Latin Rhea, from Ancient Greek Ῥέα (Rhéa). The origin of the Ancient Greek name is disputed. Suggested explanations connect it with ἔρα (éra, “ground, earth”) or ῥέω (rhéō, “to flow, stream”), while a Pre-Greek or Minoan origin has also been proposed. The moon of Saturn was discovered by Italian-French astronomer Giovanni Domenico Cassini in 1672. Its present name, after the mythological Rhea, was proposed by John Herschel in 1847 as part of his naming scheme for Saturn's moons. The asteroid 577 Rhea is likewise named after the mythological Rhea. Compare German Rhea, Finnish Rhea, French Rhéa, Spanish Rea, Italian Rea and English Rhea.
A female given name from Ancient Greek in occasional use.
Wiktionary contributors via Kaikki/Wiktextract; common glosses translated for Filipino.
People with the name Rhea
DOCUMENTED NAMESAKE
Rhea Santos
Filipino journalist
DOCUMENTED NAMESAKE
Rhea Katrina Dimaculangan
volleyball player
Descriptions: Wikidata contributors (CC0).
Similar names to Rhea
Explore names with a similar opening or ending.
Names in this collection
- Thea♀Short form of Dorothea or Theodora
- Rhian♀Maiden or young woman
- Rhoda♀Rose in the Greek name tradition
- Althea♀Possibly connected with healing
- Dorothea♀Gift of God
What rhymes with Rhea?
Dictionary rhyme matches for the readings shown.
Explore Rhea further
Records & sources
Recorded use
- Wikidata
- 3 person records with this given name · Q20000206 · CC0
These records document use of the spelling; they are separate from birth statistics.
Follow the sources
- Wikidata given-name item Q20000206 — Rhea (opens in a new tab)
- Wikidata — Rhea Santos (opens in a new tab)
- Wikidata — Rhea Katrina Dimaculangan (opens in a new tab)
- Wiktionary contributors — Rhea (Cebuano) (opens in a new tab)
- Wiktionary contributors — Rhea (English) (opens in a new tab)
- Wiktionary: Rhea (opens in a new tab)