Hera is the name of the Greek queen of the gods, the wife of Zeus and protector of marriage and women; its meaning is uncertain and is explained either as "lady" or "mistress" or through the Greek hora, "season". Unlike Athena and Persephone it was long avoided as a given name, but it fits the recent fashion for mythological names. Hera climbed from number 3,798 in 2015 to number 2,730 in 2025, its best rank in the United States, with 63 births.