Have you ever thought how many US cities with Greek names exist?
You will be surprised to know that there are more than one hundred American cities with Greek names.
Statistics show that there are just 16 cities with the name Athens in the United States, as well as 26 American cities containing the Greek name Troy in their name.
We have put together a list of US cities with Greek names deriving mostly from the Greek mythology and history.
US cities with Greek names
- Achille in Oklahoma and Achilles, Virginia. Achilles was the greatest warrior of the Trojan War, killed only when an arrow struck his heel, the only vulnerable spot on his body.
- Amazonia in Missouri (The Amazons in Greek mythology were a ferocious race of warrior women)
- Antioch in California. The city was named after the Ancient Greek Town Antiocheia, which was located in South Turkey, near the borders with Syria. The modern town of Antakya has been built near the ruins of Antioch.
- Apollo in Pennsylvania, North Apollo in Pennsylvania, Apollo Beach in Florida. Apollo was the Olympian god of music and light.
- Arcadia in California, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Wisconsin (Arcadia was a famous place in ancient Greece and a prefecture in the Peloponnese in modern Greece.)
- Ares Peak, New Mexico (Ares is the Greek God of War)
- Argo, Texas (Argo was the name of the famous ship that Jason and the Argonauts used to sail on their voyage to get the Golden Fleece)
- Argos, Indiana (the name of Ulysses’ dog and a region in south Peloponnese)
- Arion in Iowa and Ohio (Arion was the poet tossed overboard by Pirates who was saved by a dolphin)
- Athens, the capital city of Greece, is named after the goddess Athena: You can find the Greek name Athens in cities in the States of: Georgia, Ohio, Alabama, Indiana, Maine, New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Louisiana, Michigan, Illinois, Pennsylvania. There is also a New Athens in Illinois and an Athens County in Ohio
NOTE. Atlas was the hapless Titan who was doomed to support the heavens on his shoulder forever. Many variations of his name have given us a number of American cities and town names:
- Atlanta in Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana,Missouri , Nebraska, New York, Texas. There is also the name Atlas in Michigan and Kansas, and the name Atlantic City in New Jersey
- Atlantic Beach, Florida
- Attica, New York
- Calypso, North Carolina (The Nymph Calypso was a witch who tried to convince the hero Odysseus to stay with her on her island, rather than sailing home)
- Cassandra, Pennsylvania (Cassandra was the seer who was cursed by Apollo, so that her prophecies were never believed)
- Castor, Louisiana (Castor and Polux were famous twins of Greek mythology)
- Clio in Alabama, California, Georgia, Iowa, Michigan, South Carolina, West Virginia. Clio was one of the nine Muses of Greek mythology
- Corfu, a small town in New York. Corfu is the English name of the Greek island of Kerkyra and its principal city.
- Corinth in Kentucky, Mississippi, New York, Texas, Vermont. Corinth is an important city almost 80km away from Athens.
- Crete in Illinois and Nebraska. Crete is the island where Zeus was raised as a baby and the largest island in Greece.
- Daphne, Alabama (Daphne was a beautiful woman who was pursued by the god Apollo. She turned into a laurel tree in order to escape from his advances.)
- Delphi in Indiana, Kentucky and New York. Delphi was the most known Oracle in the ancient years.
- Dike in Iowa and Texas. Dike (Diki) was the Greek mythological personification of Justice
- Echo, Louisiana, Minnesota, Oregon, Texas, Utah. Echo was the beautiful maiden who fell in love with the vain Narcissus and was reduced to just an echo
- Eros in Louisiana and Arizona. Eros was the Greek god of love
- Hades Creek, Washington. Hades was the feared god of the Underworld
- Hector in Arkansas, California, New York. Hector was the brave Trojan prince who fought on the Trojan side against the Greeks during the Trojan War. He was killed by Achilles
- Helen, Georgia, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, New York, Oklahoma, West Virginia And Helenville in Wisconsin. Helen of Troy was the most beautiful woman on earth, and the cause of the Trojan War. Helen is a very common name in Greek: Eleni.
- Hercules, California. Hercules (Heracles) was the greatest hero of ancient Greece. He performed the famous 12 labors
- Hesperia, California Hesperia was the Greek deity who personified the Evening
- Hesperus, Colorado. Hesperus was the elusive god who personified the Evening
- Homer in Alaska, Georgiar, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Nebraska, New York, Ohio. Homer was the ancient poet and writer who gave us the famous books the Iliad and the Odyssey
- Irene, South Dakota and Texas. Irene is a Greek name and the personification of Peace.
- Iris, South Carolina. Iris was the Greek goddess of the Rainbow
- Ithaca, Nebraska, New York, Ohio. Ithaca was the island home of the Trojan War hero, Odysseus; the Odyssey by Homer detailed his voyage back home to Ithaca
- Macedonia in Ohio. Macedonia is the Northern part of Greece and the birthplace of Alexander the Great.
- Marathon, New York. The city of Marathon was the setting for a magnificent battle, and where we get the modern day race called the marathon
- Medusa, New York. Medusa was the monster who would turn to stone whomever happened to look upon her
- Mentor, Minnesota and Ohio. Mentor was a famous tutor/teacher in ancient Greek mythology
- Mount Olympus was the lofty home of the ancient gods. From Olympus we get place names such as: Olympic Valley in California, Olympia Heights in Florida, Olympia Fields in Illinois. These names could also originate from the area of Ancient Olympia, where the Olympic Games were taking place in the ancient years.
- Muse, Pennsylvania. The nine Muses in Greek mythology were the ones who inspired the arts, sciences, music and all things cultural
- Notus, Idaho.Notus was another wind god, this one the South Wind
- Orestes, Indiana. Orestes was the tragic figure who killed his mother, Clytaemnestra, and was pursued by the Furies, in the tragedy Oresteia by Aeschylus
- Orion, Illinois and Michigan. Orion was a giant in Greek mythology who was placed in the stars as the Constellation Orion
- Pandora, Ohio and Texas. Pandora (all-gifted) was the first mortal woman. Her curiosity made her open up a jar (box), which unleashed all the world’s evils upon the earth
- Parthenon, Arkansas. The Parthenon in Athens is the splendid temple at the Acropolis, built in honor of the great goddess Athena
- Penelope, Texas. Penelope was the faithful wife to Odysseus, of Trojan War and Odyssey fame
- Sparta in Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia, Wisconsin. Sparta was a famous city state in ancient Greece, renowned for its highly disciplined and ferocious warriors
- Syracuse in New York. Syracuse is a city in the island of Sicily in Italy. It was founded by Corinthians in 8th century BC and it was the birthplace of the famous engineer Archimedes.
- Thebes, Illinois. Thebes was another famous city state, with a storied mythical history
- Troy in Alabama, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Michigan, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia. Troy was the ancient mythological city where the famous Trojan War took place
- Ulysses, Kansas, Kentucky, Nebraska, Pennsylvania. Ulysses was the Roman name for Odysseus, hero of Homer’s epic The Odyssey.
- Urania, Louisiana. Urania was the one of the nine Muses, the Greek Muse of astronomy, astrology and Universal love
- Uranus, Alaska. Uranus (Sky) was an original Titan, husband to Gaea (Mother Earth).
- Ypsilanti in Michigan. The town was named after Demetrios Ypsilantis, the brother of Alexander Ypsilantis, a leader of Filiki Eteria.
- Zephyrhills, Florida and Zephyr in Nevada and Texas. Zephyr was one of the wind gods, the West Wind
This is a short list of the US cities with Greek names; there are even more towns and villages with modern Greek names or Ancient Greek names.