Entry № 4161 · Greek origin

Hekate Hekate — Meaning, Origin & Baby Name Popularity

/ HEH-kah-teh /
Gender
Girl
Origin
Greek
Meaning
"Greek goddess of magic / crossroads (Hesiod's Theogony)"
Syllables
2
First recorded
Ancient (Greek)

A name that means "greek goddess of magic / crossroads (hesiod's theogony)".

Hekate is from the Greek Ἑκάτη (Hekatēworker from afar) — foundational from Greek hekatos (far-shooting/far-working) + foundational possibly related to foundational hekaton (hundred). A modern American baby name in the broader Greek-mythological heritage aesthetic. Hekate is one of the foundational Greek feminine names — central to traditional Greek mythological heritage. The foundational name connects to foundational Hecate — foundational Greek goddess of foundational magic, witchcraft, the night, moon, ghosts, crossroads, and necromancy + foundational central to foundational *Hesiod's Theogony (~700 BCE) — foundational Hesiod gives Hecate exceptionally extensive praise (verses 411-452) + foundational only deity besides Zeus to possess foundational threefold power over earth + heaven + sea + foundational central to foundational pan-Greek religious heritage + foundational Hekate Triformis (Triple-formed) — foundational maiden + mother + crone + foundational central to foundational Eleusinian Mysteries (foundational ~1500 BCE-396 CE — foundational among most important Greek mystery religions) + foundational Hekate Soteira (Savior) in foundational Chaldean Oracles + foundational central to foundational Neoplatonic + Hermetic philosophical heritage; foundational also foundational Shakespeare's foundational Macbeth* foundational Three Witches consorting with Hecate; foundational central to foundational Wiccan + Neopagan heritage. Foundational Greek feminine name reflecting Greek mythological heritage.

Featured throughout Greek heritage.

Greek goddess of magic / crossroads (Greek). Foundational Greek-mythological feminine + foundational Greek Hekatē worker from afar + foundational from Greek hekatos far-shooting/far-working + foundational possibly related to hekaton hundred + foundational Hecate foundational Greek goddess of magic + witchcraft + the night + moon + ghosts + crossroads + and necromancy + foundational Hesiod's Theogony ~700 BCE + foundational Hesiod gives Hecate exceptionally extensive praise verses 411-452 + foundational only deity besides Zeus to possess threefold power over earth + heaven + sea + foundational pan-Greek religious heritage + foundational Hekate Triformis Triple-formed + foundational maiden + mother + crone + foundational Eleusinian Mysteries ~1500 BCE-396 CE + foundational among most important Greek mystery religions + foundational Hekate Soteira Savior in Chaldean Oracles + foundational Neoplatonic + Hermetic philosophical heritage + foundational Shakespeare's Macbeth foundational Three Witches consorting with Hecate + foundational Wiccan + Neopagan heritage.

The name in its native script.

Ἑκάτη
Transliteration
Hekatē
Pronunciation
/ ˈhɛk.ə.tɛ /
Root
Grammatical form

Where Hekate stands.

Hekate 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.

Hekates before her.

Real people

In fiction
Hecate
Greek goddess of magic + witchcraft + the night + moon + ghosts + crossroads + Hesiod's Theogony verses 411-452 + Eleusinian Mysteries + Macbeth Three Witches.
Greek mythology

Names connected to Hekate.

The number behind Hekate.

5

The Seeker

In Pythagorean numerology the letters of Hekate reduce to 5, The Seeker. This is a traditional interpretive system, not a factual claim about the name.