In Greek mythology, Pandora’s name means “all-gifted.”
The name comes from the Greek words pan, meaning “all,” and doron, meaning “gift.” Hesiod presents Pandora as a woman fashioned by the gods, with each deity contributing a particular quality or skill. Her name therefore emphasizes that she received gifts from many divine figures rather than identifying a single gift.
Pandora appears most fully in Hesiod’s Works and Days and Theogony. In the myth, Zeus has her created after Prometheus gives fire to humanity. The story connects her arrival with the troubles that enter human life, although the famous English phrase “Pandora’s box” reflects a later translation tradition.
A common mix-up is treating Pandora as the name of the container. Pandora is the woman; the Greek source describes a large storage jar, or pithos, rather than a small box.