From the Greek Mousai, the nine goddesses of arts and inspiration in classical mythology.
Muse carries one of the most artistically charged etymologies in the Western tradition. The word descends from the ancient Greek Μοῦσα (Mousa), and the nine Muses of Greek mythology — Calliope, Clio, Erato, Euterpe, Melpomene, Polyhymnia, Terpsichore, Thalia, and Urania — presided over epic poetry, history, love poetry, music, tragedy, sacred song, dance, comedy, and astronomy respectively. They were daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne (Memory), dwelling on Mount Helicon and Mount Parnassus, and invoking them was the traditional opening gesture of epic poetry from Homer's Iliad onward.
To be 'inspired' was literally to be breathed into by a Muse. Throughout the Renaissance and Romantic eras, the Muse as figure — both divine and often embodied in a real woman who inspired a male artist — shaped enormous amounts of Western creative output. Poets addressed their Muses directly; painters depicted them; composers dedicated works to them.
The Romantic tradition made the Muse intensely personal and sometimes troublingly gendered, yet the concept itself transcended those limitations to stand for the mysterious source of all creative fire. The British rock band Muse took the name in the late 1990s, embedding it further in contemporary cultural consciousness. As a given name, Muse is rare but has a long quiet history, appearing occasionally across cultures as a name for those hoped to bring inspiration and light.
In the 21st century it has gained notice as parents seek names that are single-syllable, meaningful, and unmistakably unusual. Muse works in any language, needs no translation, and carries its entire etymology in four letters.