Anahita is a Persian name from an ancient goddess of waters, fertility, and purity, meaning immaculate or undefiled.
Anahita is one of the great names of the ancient world, drawn from Old Avestan and meaning "immaculate," "undefiled," or "pure." She was a major deity of the Zoroastrian pantheon — goddess of water, fertility, healing, and wisdom — and her cult spread from Persia across the Achaemenid Empire into Armenia, Anatolia, and as far as Central Asia. Temples built in her honor rivaled those of Ahura Mazda himself, and Artaxerxes II was the first Achaemenid king to publicly promote her worship alongside the supreme deity, a remarkable act of religious expansion recorded by Berossus and Clement of Alexandria.
The name carries extraordinary cultural weight in Iranian civilization. Classical poets invoked her as a symbol of purity and abundance, and her imagery — a woman clothed in stars, pouring water from a vessel — became woven into Persian artistic tradition. Even after the Islamization of Persia, Anahita persisted as a given name because its meaning was considered spiritually sound and its beauty undeniable.
In modern Iran, it remains a popular and respected choice, connecting bearers to the pre-Islamic heritage of their culture. In the global diaspora, Anahita has found admirers well beyond Persian-speaking communities. Its lyrical five-syllable flow and its association with water and purity resonate universally, and parents drawn to mythological names with genuine ancient roots — rather than invented ones — find in Anahita a name of rare substance and elegance.