| Athena | Dora | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Goddess of wisdom | gift |
| Origin | Greek | greek |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | uh-THEE-nah | DOR-ə |
| Syllables | 3 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1902 | 0 |
| Peak year | 2022 (3,029) | 1921 (2,026) |
| In 2025 | 2,477 | 0 |
| Trend | Rising | Vintage |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Athena | Dora |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 16,536 | 437 |
| 2010s | 18,303 | 919 |
| 2000s | 6,169 | 1,384 |
| 1990s | 3,191 | 1,734 |
| 1980s | 2,964 | 2,378 |
| 1970s | 2,588 | 3,941 |
| 1960s | 1,517 | 7,418 |
| 1950s | 786 | 9,285 |
| 1940s | 203 | 9,717 |
| 1930s | 245 | 12,387 |
| 1920s | 416 | 18,335 |
| 1910s | 183 | 14,012 |
| 1900s | 17 | 8,011 |
| 1890s | 0 | 8,684 |
| 1880s | 0 | 7,288 |
Athena is the Greek goddess of wisdom and war; the name’s ultimate meaning is uncertain.
Short form of Dorothea or Theodora, drawn from the Greek element doron 'gift'. The standalone name carries the 'gift' sense of its parent names.
Athena is more popular than Dora today: about 2,477 US babies were given the name Athena in 2025, compared with 0 named Dora.
Athena means Goddess of wisdom (Greek origin), while Dora means gift (greek origin).
In US records, Athena first appears in 1902 and Dora in 0, so Dora has the longer recorded history.