Myrtle is from the Greek *myrtos* — the evergreen shrub sacred to Aphrodite, goddess of love; bridal myrtle wreaths feature in classical and medieval wedding traditions. **A top-50 US baby name from 1880 to 1910, peaking at #22 in 1892**. **Myrtle Wilson** — character in F. Scott Fitzgerald's *The Great Gatsby* (1925); George Wilson's wife and Tom Buchanan's mistress; played by Isla Fisher in Baz Luhrmann's 2013 adaptation; **her death scene in the Valley of Ashes is one of the most-analyzed passages in American literature**, anchoring the novel's critique of the American Dream. **Myrtle Beach, South Carolina** — one of the most-visited US tourist destinations (17+ million visitors annually); named for the wax myrtle trees that grow along the Grand Strand. **Myrtle Gonzalez (1891-1918)** — early Hollywood silent-film star; widely cited as one of the first Latina leading ladies in American cinema; died in the 1918 flu pandemic at age 27. **Myrtle Reed (1874-1911)** — American author; *Lavender and Old Lace* (1902) was a bestseller. **Moaning Myrtle** — the bathroom-haunting ghost of Hogwarts in J.K. Rowling's *Harry Potter* series, played by Shirley Henderson in *Chamber of Secrets* (2002) and *Goblet of Fire* (2005). **Myrtle Corbin (1868-1928)** — "Four-Legged Girl from Texas," famous 19th-century sideshow performer.
Featured throughout American literature and Aphrodite's mythology.
Myrtle reduces to five — the number of Aphrodite.