Greek Baby Name & Meaning

Zeus is a Male Name (Greek Baby Boy Name). The Greek baby name Zeus means - living. Mythology: Name of the highest of the Greek Olympian gods. The baby name derived from the first half of an older Indo-European god, Dyeus Phter, whose baby name meant god-father. History: Zeus, the youngest son of Cronus and Rhea, he was the supreme ruler of Mount Olympus and of the Pantheon of gods who resided there. Being the supreme ruler he upheld law, justice and morals, and this made him the spiritual leader of both gods and men. Zeus was a celestial god, and originally worshiped as a weather god by the Greek tribes. These people came southward from the Balkans circa 2100 BCE. He has always been associated as being a weather god, as his main attribute is the thunderbolt, he controlled thunder, lightning and rain. Theocritus wrote circa 265 BCE: sometimes Zeus is clear, sometimes he rains. He is also known to have caused thunderstorms. In Homer's epic poem the Iliad he sent thunderstorms against his enemies. The baby name Zeus is related to the Greek word dios, meaning bright. His other attributes as well as lightning were the scepter, the eagle and his aegis (this was the goat-skin of Amaltheia). Zeus was regarded as the sender of thunder and lightning, rain, and winds, and his traditional weapon was the thunderbolt. He was called the father (i.e., the ruler and protector) of both gods and men.