Persephone as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Persephone

What is the meaning of the name Persephone ?

The baby name Persephone is a Female name , 4 syllables long and is pronounced /pərˈsɛfəni/ (per-SEF-uh-nee).

Persephone is Greek in Origin.

From ancient Greek Περσεφόνη (Persephonē), name of Demeter’s daughter and later queen of the underworld, Persephone likely has a pre‑Greek substrate origin; its exact meaning is debated. Classical and later folk analyses linked it to perthō “to destroy, lay waste” and phónos “murder,” giving the frequent gloss “bringer of destruction/death,” though this remains uncertain. She was also widely known as Korē “maiden.” The Latinized form Persephone passed into English; the Roman counterpart is Proserpina.

As a given name it was rare in the English‑speaking world until the late 20th century, then revived with broader interest in mythic and literary names, and it remains uncommon but rising in Britain, the U.S., Australia, and Greece. International forms include Perséphone (French), Perséfone (Spanish/Portuguese), Persefone or Proserpina (Italian), Persefoni (Modern Greek), Persefona (Polish and Slavic languages), and Persefona (Russian). Diminutives and nicknames used in contemporary settings include Seph/Sephy, Effie, Percy/Persi, Peri, and Poppy.