Contribute your knowledge to the name Aletheia

Comments and insights on the name Aletheia

The name is pronounced ah-LAY-thay-a. From the Greek ἀλήθεια. The characters "η" and "ει" are pronouced like the vowel sound in "bait" (See http://www.utexas.edu/cola/centers/lrc/eieol/grkol-0-X.html).

I knew an Alethea who pronounced her name uh-LAY-thee-ah, but most name websites cite it as pronounced uh-LEE-thee-ah. In Texas the common pronunciation seems to be al-a-THEE-a

Personal experiences with the name Aletheia

I have known two women with this name - one is a blonde-haired seminary student, and the other is an African-American woman from Alaska.

My parents named me Aletheia, pronounced a-lee-thee-a, and I've never resented my name. I feel like saying that whoever said it's like Alicia with a lisp is quite offensive honestly. The only thing about my name is that rarely anyone ever gets it right the first time. Ah-la-thay-a, Al-thee-a, A-lee-tha, I've heard them all.

Nicknames for Aletheia

Theia, Thea, LeLe

Meanings and history of the name Aletheia

Aletheia is the Greek word for truth. It is a combination of the prefix a- (signifying lack) and the Greek word 'lethe', meaning forgetfulness (therefore making truth a lack of forgetfulness, or un-forgetfulnes). Lethe is also the river in Hades from which souls returning to mortal form drink prior to their rebirth - the idea is that a soul, knowing all in the afterlife, must "forget" these truths prior to rebirth. Thus truth in life is arrived at when a person remembers those things that it had known in its immortal form.

Famous real-life people named Aletheia

Aletheia in song, story & screen

H Alitheia Einai(The Truth Is)- Antonis Remos