Meleager as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Meleager

What is the meaning of the name Meleager ?

The baby name Meleager is a Male name , 4 syllables long and is pronounced /məˈliːəɡər/ (muh-LEE-uh-gər); Ancient Greek: /meˈle.aɡros/.

Meleager is Greek in Origin.

Meleager descends from Ancient Greek Meleagros (Μελέαγρος), borne by the famed Calydonian hero and by Meleager of Gadara, a Hellenistic epigrammatist who compiled the first Greek Anthology; also by a short‑lived Macedonian king in 279 BCE. The name entered Latin as Meleager and circulated in medieval and Renaissance literature, where mythological revivals kept it visible. While never common as a given name in modern Europe, it has persisted in scholarly and classicizing circles.

The etymology is debated. Proposals link mêlon “apple; sheep” and agrós “field,” yielding senses like “of the orchard/field” or “keeper of flocks,” while others derive it from agreúō “to hunt, capture,” suiting the boar‑hunt legend. Variants include Meleagros (Greek), Meleager (English/Latin), Meleagre (French), and rare Meleagro (Italian/Spanish/Portuguese). Informal shortenings may be Mel or Leo.

⚙ Meleager is exceptionally rare. Our whole dataset turns up only 1 recorded use, across 1 country.