Names like Zeus and Thor may be a bit much for most mortals. Other god-inspired names, though, work quite well on humans.

For instance, the name of the Welsh sea-god Dylan has been among the top baby names in the U.S. since the mid-1960s. (This is perhaps due in part to the influence of folksinger Bob Dylan). Dylan has been especially popular since about 1992.

Similarly, the name of the Greek deity Adonis has ranked nationally, though not as impressively, since 1993. (If "Adonis" seems over the top for daily use, remember that the name shortens neatly to "Don.")

The name Seth is also currently popular -- and has been so for well over a century -- but most parents are probably thinking of the Biblical character and not the Egyptian god when they bestow this name.

In the late 1800s, when baby name data only accounted for a portion of the entire population, nontraditional names (including certain god names) often popped up on the 'most popular' list. For instance, six boys were given the name of the Norse god Odin in 1884. Seven were named for the minor Roman deity Evander in 1895. The name of the Greek Titan Atlas was bestowed upon five boys in 1883, then six more in 1890.

Other never-ranked god names could make good baby names as well. These include major gods like Apollo (Greek) and Osiris (Egyptian), and minor ones such as the Hindu fire god Agni, the Norse trickster god Loki, the Greek war god Ares, and the Akkadian sky god Anshar.

Finally, mythological characters who are not gods have also inspired some good names. For example, the names Jason and Hector -- from the Greek hero and the Trojan warrior, respectively -- have been in regular use for well over 100 years. Other usable mythological character names include Arjun (Hindu), Orion (Greek), Tristan (Celtic), and Ulysses (a version of Odysseus).