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Pet Names Based on Roman Gods

Check out this list for the best Roman god names for your pet!

The Romans had thousands of gods. Every time they expanded their territory and found out about a new god that they liked, they “adopted” them. They were especially taken with Greek mythology and made it part of their own divine landscape.

So, the highest Greek god Zeus is the same as the Roman Jupiter. The Greek god of war, Ares, became Mars for the Romans - and Aphrodite is Venus. So if you’re thinking of naming your pet after a certain god, you can choose between the Roman or Greek version.

Of the Greek gods, the best pet names are Jupiter, Hercules, Apollo, Minerva, and Venus.

Apollo Apollo - Photo: Dimitrios/stock.adobe.com


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The Best Pet Names Based on Roman Gods:

NameGod
Apollo God of poetry, music, and oracles
Aurora Goddess of the dawn
Bellona War goddess
Ceres Goddess of the harvest
Cupid God of love
Diana Goddess of the hunt
Epona Goddess of horses
Fortuna Goddess of fortune
Hercules God of strength
Janus Double-faced or two-headed god of beginnings and endings
Juno Queen of the gods, goddess of matrimony
Jupiter King of the gods, god of storms, lightning and sky
Mars God of war
Mercury Messenger of the gods and bearer of souls to the underworld
Minerva Goddess of wisdom, war and the arts
Neptune God of freshwater and the sea
Pluto God of the underworld
Venus Goddess of love and beauty
Vesta Goddess of the hearth and family
Vulcan God of the forge, fire and blacksmiths

Names of Mythical Creatures in Roman Mythology:

Even if Greek mythology was considerably more detailed, we’ve still come up with a few divine beings that come from Roman mythology:

• Caladrius

The white bird

In Roman mythology, there is a bird that lives in royal buildings and sits at the bedsides of ill people. If the bird refused to see a sick person, this was not a good sign for their health. If it looked the person in the eye, the person would recover completely. People believed that the bird could absorb the illness into itself and fly away with it.

• Faun

Half human, half goat


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A faun is a forest and meadow spirit in Roman mythology. It looks like a cross between a human and a goat. It has hooves instead of feet and the legs of a goat. Its upper body is human but it has horns on its head. There is a mythological creature in Greek mythology that is very similar to the faun: the satyr. If you’ve read or seen “The Chronicles of Narnia”, you’ll know about fauns - especially Mr Tumnus. They say that fauns like to play the panpipes and mostly live in groups.

• Picus

The woodpecker

The god Picus wasn’t always a woodpecker, but was turned into one by the gods, who were angry about his loyalty to his wife. You can find the word picus in biology. Lots of woodpeckers have it in their scientific names. Like the European green woodpecker, or picus viridis.

Fun Facts

Animals in Ancient Rome

When it came to real animals: the Romans were especially fascinated by exotic animals. In public arenas, people could marvel at elephants, lions, rhinos, giraffes, ostriches and many other animals. They were often part of gladiator fights (gladiator comes from the Latin word “gladius”, meaning “sword”). The Romans also had pets, but they were usually kept for their usefulness instead of just as friends and companions. Cats were there to catch mice, dogs protected the house and horses carried soldiers into battle.

Pet Names Based on Roman Gods - Janus Pet Names Based on Roman Gods - Janus - Illustration: Hein Nouwens/Shutterstock


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