| Hermes | Ladon | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Messenger of the gods | dragon (mythological) |
| Origin | Greek | greek |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | HER-meez | LAY-don |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1924 | 0 |
| Peak year | 2025 (37) | 2012 (29) |
| In 2025 | 37 | 0 |
| Trend | Near its peak | Declining |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Hermes | Ladon |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 170 | 58 |
| 2010s | 119 | 158 |
| 2000s | 101 | 132 |
| 1990s | 104 | 142 |
| 1980s | 104 | 151 |
| 1970s | 40 | 206 |
| 1960s | 47 | 162 |
| 1950s | 6 | 112 |
| 1940s | 0 | 79 |
| 1930s | 0 | 60 |
| 1920s | 6 | 0 |
Hermes is the swift Greek messenger god; the origin of his name is uncertain.
Greek Ladon, the serpent-dragon coiled around the tree of the golden apples of the Hesperides. Flag: a mythological dragon's NAME, not a literal 'dragon' word; its etymology is uncertain (one guess links it to a root 'to flow strongly', and Ladon is also the name of a river-god), so it is included as the name of a dragon.
Hermes is more popular than Ladon today: about 37 US babies were given the name Hermes in 2025, compared with 0 named Ladon.
Hermes means Messenger of the gods (Greek origin), while Ladon means dragon (mythological) (greek origin).
In US records, Hermes first appears in 1924 and Ladon in 0, so Ladon has the longer recorded history.