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Electra / Elektra

Today's name: Electra
Is Electra too electric for you? Try  Elettra, Elektra, Alectra, Ellectra, Ellektra or Ilectra.
Pronunciation: el-EK-trah, ee-LEK-trah

Potential nicknames: Elle, Ellie, Ella, Lectra, Lex, Lexie

Origin: Greek, meaning "amber." Derived from the Greek word for amber, elektron. Although other sources claim it means "shining," "bright," and "radiant," there is no proof for these meanings.

Popularity: Electra has not ranked in the top 1000. In 2010 there were 18 baby girls named Electra and 36 baby girls spelled Elektra. In 2011 there were 14 Electra, 25 Elektra and no Elettra.

Fun fact: (1) Electra was the daughter of King Agamemnon and his wife Clytemnestra of Mycenae. Agamemnon killed Electra's sister Iphigenia to please the goddess Artemis in hopes that Artemis would let his ships safely sail to Troy during the Trojan war. His wife was angered by this and swore to never forgive him, but when he came back from Troy with a new mistress (Cassandra) Clytemnestra killed both of them with the help of her lover. In turn, this made Electra angry, so she and her brother Orestes exacted revenge upon their mother and her lover Aegisthus. This is where the term "Electra complex" comes from. Electra's story is part of the Greek Tragedies by Sophocles and Euridipes and she has been the inspiration for other literary works. (2) Electra or Elektra Natchios is well known for being a Marvel comic book heroine. Jennifer Garner played this character in a movie of the same title.

Possible siblings for Electra might include:
Oceana, Apollo, Orpheus, Hermes, Aura, Echo, Leander, Athena, Chrysanthe, Rhea, Atlas, Althea, Atalanta, Minerva, Eudora, Hestia, Desdemona, or really any Greek mythology name (excluding the names of her parents, siblings, Cassandra and Artemis). If you really want to get creative, try other names with both color and gemstone meanings, such as Amethyst or Fairuza, which both refer to colors and stones.

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