| Selene | Ariadne | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Moon | Most holy |
| Origin | greek | Greek |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | seh-LEE-nee | ar-ee-AD-nee |
| Syllables | 3 | 4 |
| First appeared | 0 | 1960 |
| Peak year | 2025 (469) | 2016 (389) |
| In 2025 | 0 | 115 |
| Trend | Rising | Rising |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Selene | Ariadne |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 2,455 | 1,126 |
| 2010s | 2,348 | 2,589 |
| 2000s | 1,709 | 621 |
| 1990s | 1,608 | 255 |
| 1980s | 481 | 100 |
| 1970s | 473 | 63 |
| 1960s | 359 | 70 |
| 1950s | 161 | 0 |
| 1940s | 79 | 0 |
| 1930s | 12 | 0 |
| 1920s | 23 | 0 |
| 1910s | 5 | 0 |
Selene (Greek Selene) is the ancient Greek goddess who personified the moon; the word is related to 'selas' meaning light or brightness. A direct, literal moon name.
Ariadne means “most holy” in Greek; she guides Theseus from the labyrinth.
Ariadne is more popular than Selene today: about 115 US babies were given the name Ariadne in 2025, compared with 0 named Selene.
Selene means Moon (greek origin), while Ariadne means Most holy (Greek origin).
In US records, Selene first appears in 0 and Ariadne in 1960, so Selene has the longer recorded history.