Zeus was the king of the Greek gods, lord of sky and thunder; his name comes from the Indo-European root dyeus and means "sky" or "bright heaven", the same root behind the Latin Jupiter and the word deity. Once reserved for pets and bodybuilders, it has joined Apollo and Atlas among the mythological names American parents now give their sons. Zeus ranked number 2921 in 2000, reached number 1067 in 2024 and stands at number 1351 in 2025.