Deianeira
Deianira, Deïanira, or Deianeira, also known as Dejanira, is a Calydonian princess in Greek mythology whose name translates as "man-destroyer" or "destroyer of her husband". She was the wife of Heracles and, in late Classical accounts, his unwitting murderer, killing him with the poisoned Shirt of Nessus. She is the main character in Sophocles' play Women of Trachis.
Meaning & Origin of Deianeira
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Deianira, Deïanira, or Deianeira, also known as Dejanira, is a Calydonian princess in Greek mythology whose name translates as "man-destroyer" or "destroyer of her husband". She was the wife of Heracles and, in late Classical accounts, his unwitting murderer, killing him with the poisoned Shirt of Nessus. She is the main character in Sophocles' play Women of Trachis.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Deianeira
Deianeira first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1995, with 22 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1995, when 22 Deianeiras were born — ranking #4,518 that year. As of 2026, Deianeira ranks #17,168 for baby girls with 5 births, with steady use. In total, more than 49 Deianeiras have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1990s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Deianeira
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Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Deianeira
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About the name Deianeira
Deianeira is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1995 and has accumulated 49 births in the dataset. Deianeira's peak popularity came in 1995 when it ranked #4,518. Use the chart and map above to compare Deianeira's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1995 →
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- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.