Eris

mylilwildflower · September 2013

GENDER: Feminine

OTHER SCRIPTS: Ερις (Ancient Greek)

Meaning & History

Means "strife" in Greek. In Greek mythology Eris was the goddess of discord. She was the sister and companion of Ares.
Eris is the Greek goddess of discord and strife. She is Ares' constant companion and follows him everywhere. Eris is sinister and mean, and her greatest joy is to make trouble. She has a golden apple that is so bright and shiny everybody wants to have it. When she throws it among friends, their friendship come to a rapid end. When she throws it among enemies, war breaks out, for the golden apple of Eris is the Apple of Discord. She did this once during the wedding of Peleus and Thetis, and this act brought about the Trojan War.

Bummer. Really pretty name IMO.

Do/would YOU let the meaning of a name deter you from using it?

Ansleyturner · September 2013

No... I think its awesome.

mh89 · September 2013

Is it pronounced like heiress?

I absolutely love names from Greek mythology, so it probably wouldn't deter me. Ariadne is one of my favorite names and in some versions of mythology she isn't portrayed very well. She's the villain in a book series I've read as well, but I still love the name.

I don't think I'd personally use Eris, but if you love it or it has personal meaning then go for it.

Scarlett&Gatsby · September 2013

I like it, but a couple things deter me (neither are the meaning)...

1. That it sounds like "heiress," if I'm pronouncing it right. Even though the name itself is legit, it would bother me that people might think I named my child Heiress (a la Princess, Dynasty, other trashy trying-to-sound-rich things).

2. That there's a Greek beer called Aris, pronounced the exact same way (could it possibly be a translation difference?). This might be less of a "big deal" for you, though; DH and I go out for Greek like it's our job.

ETA: Both of those things would cause me to hesitate before the actual meaning, since it's so obscure and (as far as I know) Greek mythology isn't a viable religion anymore. I feel differently about Lilith, for instance, since she's a somewhat negative character in both Judaism and Islam.

SpringBaby2014 · September 2013

Honestly, I'm not a fan. I think it looks too similar to Eros, which makes me think of 50 shades or something.

NerdyLucy · September 2013

Me personally? Yes, it would deter me. I do get caught up in meaning. A lot of people don't.

I wouldn't side-eye Eris though.

dreemkin84 · September 2013

To answer your question: no. I don't give name meaning much thought.

fancynewbeesly · September 2013

I wouldn't use it because of the meaning--but I also love the name Claudia--and couldn't use that for the meaning either. "Lame one"

leahmary82 · September 2013

It's a pretty name, but I think the meaning wrecks it. I am someone who really considers meaning though.

nunzchucks · September 2013

leahmary82 said:
It's a pretty name, but I think the meaning wrecks it. I am someone who really considers meaning though.

This.

Manderlin923 · September 2013

It's pretty but I don't love the name. Other ideas- Eira, Carys, or Maris?

FeetonGround · September 2013

For the most part I don't care too much about meaning, but with mythology names I think about what my child would think if they looked up the god/goddess when they were ten years old or so.

I think Eris lies somewhere in the middle, not a positive goddess for sure, but a neat story, I think a kid might find it fun, at least I would have at that age!

In contrast some stories are really off-putting, for example I decided against using Freyja/Freya for my DD because of the story of the goddess sleeping with dwarves for jewelry. I could see that being an embarrassment to a kid!

allardr · September 2013

In general, meaning would definitely not deter me from a name. ...If I didn't like a meaning though I may leave the meaning out of the baby book

emilyray14 · September 2013

A friend of mine has a daughter named Aeris (pronounced air-iss). She got the name from the Final Fantasy video game. I really like the name! I don't think the Greek mythology would bother me.

TikiTurtle · September 2013

I love Greek mythology, and the goddess Eris reminds me a lot of Loki

Personally, I think the name is great and the story behind it is pretty unique and cool.

nanabanana06 · September 2013

Not so sure a Final Fantasy character so popular is a good name. I know the greek thing, but this was a huge character for the gaming community. You'd probably get a lot of questions from gamers.

mylilwildflower · September 2013

Nana_Osaki06 said:

Not so sure a Final Fantasy character so popular is a good name. I know the greek thing, but this was a huge character for the gaming community. You'd probably get a lot of questions from gamers.

This is the reason I love getting opinions here! I am so not a "gamer" and had no idea about this name being popular in that community. Thank you all for your thoughts

apc1929 · September 2013

I'm usually not a huge fan of heavy Greek Myth names but I love Eris! I too had no idea though it was a "gamer" name

capulet · September 2013

I don't usually get hung up on the etymological meaning of names, but when the meaning aligns with the mythological story as it does in this case, I probably wouldn't use it.

Spookster · September 2013

sweetTea42 said:

I like the name, and love Greek and Roman Mythology. I wouldn't let the meaning or myths deter me. Persephone is one of my most loved girl names

Mine too :-)

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