Names of Athenian Triremes (more properly I suppose ‘Trieres’).

[michaellaneuk]

Some time ago I found the following list of the names of Athenian Triremes.  I copied it and saved it on my computer.  Sadly I can't remember where I found the list but it is a marvellous source for the naming of your galleys for Naval Battles.  I have done so on numerous occasions and post it here so others can do the same.  If you already have seen the list, perhaps you can advise who prepared it and give them full credit.

Triremes named after heroines & goddesses

Pandora: she to whom all gifts were given (by the gods). This would be a good name if you didn't know the rest of her story!
Olympias: the Olympian (female) - chosen of course for the reconstructed trieres, now a serving ship of the Hellenic navy
Phosphoros : bringer of light - referring probably to Eos, goddess of the Dawn, although the same word was later applied to the Morning Star (planet Venus)
Hebe: goddess of Youth, married to Heracles after his apotheosis
Kytheria: the Cytherean - that is Aphrodite, from her possible birthplace on the island of Cythera.
Asklepias: the daughter of Asclepios, god of healing
Akhilleia: the Achillean. Trying to bend the rules by naming his ship after Achilles.
Amphitrite : wife of Poseidon, a pretty obvious one
Seiren: The Siren, named for the creatures who tried to lure Odysseus on to the rocks in the Odyssey
Triaina: Trident. Now a guided missile, but originally the symbol of Poseidon's power.
Hephaistia: the Hephaestean. Named for Hephaestus, god of fire, and patron of the workers.
Nereis: Nereid. Daughter of Nereus, the Old Man of the Sea. Thetis, mother of Achilles was the most famous of them
Parthenos: The Virgin - nothing to do with Richard Branson; this ship was dedicated to Athena, the Virgin Goddess
Aphrodisia: belonging to Aphrodite: but the sailors will have seen the name as neuter plural rather than feminine singular: ta aphrodisia was a common euphemism for sex.
Aianteia: Ajax's own. Compare Akhilleia above - a way to get a masculine flavour while still keeping the name feminine.
Thetis: The Thetis - still the name of a warship in the Royal Navy.
Tritogenes: another name for Athena - no one even in the 4th century BC knew what it meant.
Europe: Named for Minos' sister who rode on the bull's back - not EU sponsored!
Kekropis: daughter of Kekrops - the legendary founder of Athens. Also the name of one of the 10 tribes (electoral constituencies) in Athens.
Euia : devotee of Bacchus - a Maenad, wild uninhibited worshipper of Dionysus.
Pandia: "all divine"

Triremes named after places

Hellas : Greece - not a political concept at the time, more an abstract idea
Aithiopia: the African Queen (? as in the movie). Word literally means "burnt- faced", the usual Greek term for Black.
Salaminia: The Girl from Salamis - the island opposite the Peiraeus, scene of the great victory over the Persians in 480 BC [the last time anything eventful happened there - a fisherman I spoke to in 1989 talking about the battle made it sound like something which happened maybe a generation or so ago] According to Aristophanes' Lysistrata, girls from Salamis were renowned for their easy virtue.
Delias : The Girl from Delos - tiny island sacred to Apollo, which had housed the anti-Persian war chest [funds of the Delian Leaugue] until transferred to Athens for "safe keeping"
Delphis: The Girl from Delphi - site of Apollo's oracle in central Greece. Or it could mean "The Dolphin" - an equally suitable name, with associations with Dionysus.
Nemeas: the Girl from Nemea - associated with a monstrous lion killed by Herakles, a temple of Zeus, and the Nemean Games.
Doris: Dorian Girl - would have seemed a strange name to earlier generations of Athenian, for who the Dorian Spartans were enemies.
Eleusis : the small town west of Athens, home of the "Mysteries" - a secret rite observed annually in honour of Demeter and Persephone.
Pallenis : Girl from Pallene, an Attic village (deme). Only deme to have a trieres named after it.
Ionike : The Ionian - the Athenians regarded themselves as the leaders of the Ionian Greeks (as Sparta did of the Dorians)

Triremes named after animals or objects

Melitta : "The Bee"
Delphis : the Dolphin (or the Girl from Delphi - see above)
Panthera: Leopard
Lykaina : She-wolf
Salpinx : "The Trumpet"
Sobe: "The Horse's Tail" (?)
Sphendone: "The Sling" (weapon)
Synoris : "Pair of Horses"
Peristera - "The Dove" (not an image of peace in Greek culture)

Triremes named after abstract ideas

Philotimia : "Ambition". Word used for rivalry between politicians and others - not incompatible, however with...
Eleutheria: "Freedom". One of the key words of the Athenian democracy.
Euphemia: "Silence"
Euporia: "Plenty"
Pronoia: "Foresight"
Boetheia: "Help" [in sense of reinforcement]
Aktis: "Sunbeam"
Aura : "Breeze"
Gnome :"Intelligence"
Dikaiosyne: "Justice"
Hegemone: "Leadership"
Demokratia: "Democracy"
Nike: "Victory" (like Nelson's flagship) - and various combinations: Aristonike: Victory for the best. Kleonike - famous in victory. Polynike: much victorious. Axionike - worthy of victory. Pasinike - Victory for all; Agathonike : glorious in victory; Stratonike - victory for the army; Kallenike (sic) - Beautiful in victory; Polemonike - Victorious in War; Nikariste - best victory; Nausinike - Victory in Ships
Homonoia :"Harmony" - now the name of the busiest square in Athens
Apobasis: landing, disembarkation. Something to look forward to as a rower!
Eudaimonia: "Happiness"
Symmachia: The Alliance
Epideixis : Show, Display [as a part of philotimia - Athenians were not ashamed to flaunt their wealth, if they had it]
Andreia : "Courage"
Eukarpia: "Fruitfulness"
Hygieia : "Health"
Dynamis: "Power"
Charis:"Grace"
Parrhesia : "Free Speech"
Hegemonia: "Leadership"
Doxa: "Glory"
Eutychia: "Good luck"
Parataxis: being a buddy - fighting alongside
Eunoia: "Loyalty"
Strategis: "Generalship"
Theoris : "Sacred Mission"
Eueteria: "Prosperity"
Anysis: "Achievement"
Syntaxis : fighting together

Descriptive names

Okeia - swift
Takheia - quick
Ariste - best
Potone - winged (?)
Stilbousa - glittering
Paralia - from the coast
Euphrainousa - joyful
Petomene - flying
Stephanousa - crowning
Kallixena - Beautiful Stranger
Eucharis - Charming
Soizousa - Saving
Nikosa - Winning
Kratousa - Conquering
Hippia - Horsey
Gnoste - Famous
Thera - Beast
Panoplia - Armed to the teeth
Ephebos - Young man [the only masculine name I came across] - an ephebe was a youth between 18 and 22 performing compulsory military service.
Askousa - Exercising
Euploia - Plain sailing
Prote - first
Phanera - clear, obvious
Hedeia - "Sweetie"
Stephanephoria - wearing the crown
Hipparche - "Mistress of the Horse"
Proplous - leading ship
Kouphotate - "Light as a feather"
Hikane - "Up for it"
Hippegos - "Commander of the Horse"
Agreuousa : "Huntress"
Leontis - Lioness - but also the name of an Athenian tribe (see Kekropis)
Kratiste - "The Greatest"
Stephanoumene - "wearing the crown" (crown was of course a symbol of victory, not royalty!)
Erythreia - Red
Leuke - White
Ortheia - direct, straight
Iousa - "The Goer"
Megiste - the Greatest
Tryphousa (sic) - "Miss Fussy"
Nea - new
Aglaia - Spendid
Prepousa - "Miss Nice"
Hiera - holy
Naukratousa - winning at sea
Paidothera - Scouting for boys (?)
Epipedosa - leaping in.
Epione : Miss Gentle
Anthera - flowery
 
And two verbs!
Hegeso : Lead the way! (Aorist imperative: also occurs as a girl's name on the well-known stele)
Nikeso : I shall win

[Erpingham]

It seems to come from here, or perhaps this quotes the same source

http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~loxias/triremenames2.htm

For a recent scholarly article on the subject (you can tell it's scholarly by the way it doesn't transliterate the Greek  )

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11457-025-09439-5

[Andreas Johansson]

Tritogenes: another name for Athena - no one even in the 4th century BC knew what it meant.

The obvious meaning is "third-born". Now, quite why that should be an epithet of Athena is less obvious.

WP suggests an alternative interpretation as "born to Triton", but that's grammatically odd - you'd expect Tritonogenes - and she's normally considered the daughter of Zeus. WP cites Graves and Kerenyi to the effect she was the foster-daughter of Triton, but would -genes, meaning "born", really be used to express such a relationship?

[michaellaneuk]

Thanks to Erpingham, that was indeed the source of the list.  The second article is also very interesting, thank you.