Meaning: Its source is a Greek expression meaning "Bright."

Languages: This girl's name is used in Greek.

Alternative Spellings: Phaedra

Narrative: In Greek mythology, Phaidra was the daughter of Minor and the wife of Theseus.

Phaidra fell in love with her stepson, Hippolytus. Being a devotee of the goddess Diana, Hippolytus was an enthusiastic hunter and a resolute virgin. He rejected her advances, and Phaidra killed herself in despair. First, though, she accused her beloved of rape, causing Theseus to seek his son's death.

The tale of Phaidra's dark and guilty love has inspired playwrights from ancient to modern times.