Entry № 395 · Greek origin

Alcmene Alcmene — Meaning, Origin & Baby Name Popularity

/ alk-MEH-nee /
Gender
Girl
Origin
Greek
Meaning
"Heracles's mortal mother"
Syllables
2
First recorded
Ancient (Greek)

A name that means "heracles's mortal mother".

Alcmene (Ἀλκμήνη) is the Greek name from alkē (strength) and mēnē (moon) — "strength of the moon." The Theban princess who, deceived by Zeus disguised as her husband Amphitryon, became the mortal mother of Heracles.

Featured in Plautus's Amphitryon and Molière's adaptation.

Strength of the moon. Heracles's mortal mother.

The name in its native script.

Ἀλκμήνη
Transliteration
Alkmḗnē
Pronunciation
/ ælkˈmiː.ni /
Root
Grammatical form

Where Alcmene stands.

Alcmene does not currently appear in the US Social Security Administration's top 1,000 girls' names, so we don't publish a US rank or birth count for it. That says nothing about the name's standing elsewhere in the world — only that it sits outside the ranked US data we rely on.

Alcmenes before her.

Real people
Alcmene
Greek mythological figure.
In fiction
Alcmene
Mother of Heracles.
Plautus's Amphitryon

Names connected to Alcmene.

The number behind Alcmene.

8

The Visionary

In Pythagorean numerology the letters of Alcmene reduce to 8, The Visionary. This is a traditional interpretive system, not a factual claim about the name.