How to say it
AT · las
/ˈæt.ləs/
Masculine
Atlas
Bearer, enduring
What it means
Greek Atlas, the Titan condemned to hold up the heavens after the Titans lost their war with Zeus. From a Greek root meaning 'to bear' or 'to endure.'
In Greek myth Atlas was a Titan who fought against Zeus and the Olympians; his punishment was to hold the celestial sphere on his shoulders for eternity. The name comes from a root meaning 'to bear' or 'endure.' Mercator's 1595 collection of maps was titled in Atlas's honor (he's on the cover), and that's how 'atlas' became the common word for a book of maps. As a baby name, Atlas was unused in the US until the 2000s; it entered the top 1,000 in 2014 and the top 200 by 2020, part of the broader move toward mythological and one-word strong names (Maverick, Phoenix). Rarely shortens.
Popularity over time
peaked at #75 in 2025, currently #75 in 2025.
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, names given to at least 5 babies in a year, 1880–present. See where the names are moving
Heads-up notes
- Pronunciation
AT-las, two syllables, stress on the first. Single short forms don't catch on.
Who's worn it
Historical figures, characters, and public faces who share the name. The cultural surface, for whatever weight you want to give it.
- Atlas (Greek myth) Titan condemned to hold up the sky after the Titanomachy
- Charles Atlas Italian-American bodybuilder, the comic-book ad icon for muscle-building
Names with the same feeling
See Atlas from another angle
By style