Gender Masculine
Scripts Pron. /ˈhɛɹ.ə.kliːz/ (English) [key ·simplify]
Meaning & History
From Greek , derived from the name of the goddess Hera combined with Greek kleos) meaning "glory" [1] [2] . This was the name of a hero in Greek and Roman mythology, the son of Zeus and the mortal woman Alcmene. After being driven insane by the spiteful Hera and killing his own family, Heracles completed twelve labours for Eurystheus in order to atone for his crime and become immortal.The spelling used by the Romans was typically Hercules .
Related Names
Sources & References
- Panayotacos, Paul. Etymologica: Deciphering Greek names, entry Ἡρακλῆς, available from https://etymologica.org/.
- Liddell, Scott and Jones. An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, entry kle/os, available from https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0058%3Aentry%3Dkle%2Fos.
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Entry updated May 26, 2026