Pelias as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Pelias

What is the meaning of the name Pelias ?

The baby name Pelias is a Male name , 3 syllables long and is pronounced PEL-ee-əs (English: /ˈpɛliəs/); Greek: pe-LEE-as (/peˈlias/).

Pelias is Greek in Origin.

Pelias is an Ancient Greek name (Πελίας), best known as the usurping king of Iolcus in the Argonaut legend; he sent Jason to seize the Golden Fleece and later died through Medea’s ruse. The name appears in classical sources such as Pindar, Apollonius Rhodius, and Ovid. As a personal name it saw little use beyond antiquity and remains extremely rare in modern registries, surfacing mainly among classicists or in myth-inspired fiction.

Etymology is debated: some link Pelias to Greek pelios “dusky, livid” - hence “the dark-hued one” - while others compare it with peleiás “dove,” a poetic word familiar from Homer. Variants include the Greek form Pelías and the Latinized Pelias; a feminine analog Peleia exists in Greek, though usage is distinct. Related but separate is Peleus. The rarity and severe, storied associations give Pelias a dramatic, antique character.

⚙ Pelias is vanishingly rare. In all, it appears just 3 times, across 3 countries.