This collection presents 18 Mythological girl names that start with Y, spanning from “Yael” to “Yuki-onna”. They come from global myths and legends, including goddesses, spirits, and legendary heroines. Use them for baby names, character creation, or cultural reading.
Mythological girl names that start with Y are names from myths, legends, and sacred stories across many cultures. Notable examples include Yael, a biblical heroine, and Yuki-onna, the Japanese snow spirit.
Below you’ll find the table with Name, Origin, Pronunciation, Meaning/Role, and Variants.
Name: The name as listed, including standard spellings and diacritics so you can check exact forms.
Origin: The culture or mythic tradition the name comes from, helping you assess cultural context and background.
Pronunciation: A simple phonetic guide or IPA so you can say the name correctly and confidently.
Meaning/Role: A concise meaning or mythological role that briefly explains the name’s story and symbolic significance.
Variants: Common modern spellings and historical forms that you can compare for usage and stylistic fit.
Mythological girl names that start with Y
| Name | Origin | Pronunciation | Meaning/Role | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yami | Vedic/Hindu | YAH-mee | Vedic twin; life/death figure | Vedic figure in the Rigveda, twin sister of Yama and sometimes personified as an ancestral or river figure; appearances in later Hindu stories. Variant spellings rare; modern use uncommon. |
| Yamuna | Hindu | yah-MOO-nah | River goddess; Krishna’s associate | Sacred personification of the Yamuna River in Vedic and Puranic literature; worshipped as a goddess and linked to Krishna; also spelled Yamunā, common in Indian devotional contexts. |
| Yakshi | Hindu/Buddhist (South Asia) | YAK-shee | Female nature-spirit; fertility and guardian deity | Class of female nature-spirits in Indian myth and Buddhist lore, often linked to trees, fertility, and local guardians; sculptures frequently depict Yakshis. Variant Yakshini; common in art and folklore. |
| Yogini | Hindu/Tantric | yo-GEE-nee | Female tantric deity or practitioner | Female divine attendants or autonomous goddesses in Tantric traditions; 64 Yogini cults produced temples and legends across India; also denotes a female practitioner of yoga or tantra. |
| Yashoda | Hindu (Puranic) | yah-SHOH-dah | Foster mother of Krishna | Beloved foster-mother of Krishna in Puranic and devotional texts; symbolizes maternal devotion and is a popular devotional figure; variant Yashodha; common as an Indian given name. |
| Yashodhara | Buddhist/Indian | yah-sho-DHAH-rah | Wife of Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha) | Legendary/historical spouse of Prince Siddhartha in Pali and Sanskrit sources, mother of Rahula; appears in Buddhist biographies and art; name used in South Asian contexts. |
| Yemaya | Yoruba / Afro-Caribbean | yeh-MAH-yah | Orisha of the sea, motherhood, fertility | Major Yoruba river/sea goddess adopted across the African diaspora (Cuba, Brazil, Haiti); associated with motherhood and protection; variants Yemoja, Yemanjá; widely venerated in folk religion. |
| Yara | Tupi-Guarani (Brazilian) | YAH-rah | Water nymph; “lady of the water” | Indigenous Amazonian water-spirit who lures fishers in Tupi-Guarani lore; commonly spelled Iara or Yara in Portuguese; now a popular given name in Brazil and beyond. |
| Yaga | Slavic folklore | YAH-gah | Witch/forest spirit; ambiguous helper or villain | Core element of the Baba Yaga figure in Slavic folktales; a fearsome, ambiguous witch living in a hut on chicken legs, sometimes helper, sometimes antagonist; “Yaga” used as shorthand. |
| Yrsa | Norse/Scandinavian | UR-sah | Legendary queen and tragic heroine | Figure in Old Norse sagas and Scandinavian legend, often involved in tragic family sagas and royal lineage stories; appears in medieval Icelandic sources; variant Yrse. |
| Yseult | Medieval/Celtic legend | ih-ZOOLT | Tragic lover of Tristan in romance | Medieval form of Iseult/Isolde used in Old French romances about Tristan; a central tragic heroine; variants Isolde, Iseult; chiefly literary and medieval in origin. |
| Ygraine | Arthurian legend | ih-GRAYN | Mother of King Arthur | Medieval name for Arthur’s mother in Geoffrey of Monmouth and later romances; variant Igraine; part of British legendary history and genealogical myth. |
| Yael | Hebrew/Biblical | yah-EL | Heroine who killed Sisera (Judges) | Biblical heroine celebrated in Judges for slaying the Canaanite general Sisera; symbol of decisive courage; remains a popular given name in Israel and internationally. |
| Yocheved | Hebrew/Biblical | yo-keh-VEHD | Mother of Moses and Miriam | Mother of Moses, Aaron, and Miriam in the Hebrew Bible; often spelled Jochebed in English translations; used in Jewish tradition though relatively uncommon as a modern name. |
| Yuki-onna | Japanese folklore | YOO-kee OH-nah | Snow woman; supernatural female spirit | Famous yōkai: beautiful, cold spirit who appears during snowstorms in folktales; name literally means “snow woman”; appears widely in Japanese literature and art. |
| Yamato-hime | Japanese/Shinto legend | yah-mah-TOH HEE-meh | Legendary princess/priestess linked to shrine foundations | Yamato-hime-no-Mikoto appears in Kojiki and Nihon Shoki as a legendary princess and shrine founder (Ise); part of early Shinto mythic history; rare as a modern name. |
| Yellamma | South Indian folk religion | YEL-lah-mah | Mother goddess of fertility and healing | Regional folk deity in Karnataka and Telangana (often linked with Renuka), central to village cults and annual fairs; widely revered in local oral traditions and devotional practice. |
| Yennenga | Mossi (West African) | yen-EN-gah | Legendary warrior-princess, ancestor figure | Central heroine of Mossi oral tradition (Burkina Faso), credited as an ancestral founder and celebrated in West African folklore and cultural identity. |
Descriptions
Yami
Yamuna
Yakshi
Yogini
Yashoda
Yashodhara
Yemaya
Yara
Yaga
Yrsa
Yseult
Ygraine
Yael
Yocheved
Yuki-onna
Yamato-hime
Yellamma
Yennenga