In Greek mythology, Pandora’s name is commonly explained as meaning “all-gifted.” The name comes from Greek elements associated with “all” and “gifts,” reflecting the story that the gods gave her distinctive qualities and adornments.
Hesiod describes Pandora as a woman fashioned by the gods after Prometheus gave fire to humanity. He presents several deities as contributing gifts: Athena gives skill, Aphrodite gives beauty, and Hermes gives persuasive or deceptive speech. Her name therefore connects to the collective divine gifts that make her remarkable.
The meaning is sometimes rendered as “all-giving,” because the Greek form can be interpreted in more than one grammatical direction. In the myth’s narrative context, however, “all-gifted” is the standard English gloss for Pandora’s name.
Pandora’s name should not be confused with the later moral interpretation that makes her simply evil. Hesiod’s account is more complex: she is a divinely created figure whose arrival is tied to the spread of hardship among humans, while the name emphasizes her divine construction and attributes.