Several days ago, NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day was the impressive “Io: Moon Over Jupiter,” which was taken by the Cassini spacecraft.
Jupiter’s moon Io (pronounced IE-oh) was discovered by Galileo in 1610. He named it for the mythological character Io — a nymph who was seduced by Zeus, then turned into a cow.*
The baby name Io doesn’t have a known meaning, and it’s rarely used in the U.S.:
- 2010: 6 baby girls named Io
- 2009: 8 baby girls named Io
- 2008: 5 baby girls named Io
- 2007: 5 baby girls named Io
- 2006: 5 baby girls named Io
Nevertheless, I’ve always found it intriguing. There aren’t many two-letter girl names out there, and this is the only one I know of from Greek myth.
Do you like the name Io? Would you give it to your baby girl?
*The name of the Bosphorus, which comes from ancient Greek and means “cow passage,” commemorates Io-the-cow’s crossing of the strait.
P.S. Io backwards is Oi. :)
Sources: Io (mythology) – Wikipedia, SSA
Image: NASA