In Hesiod’s Works and Days, the name Pandora means “all-gifted.”
The name is built from Greek elements associated with “all” and “gifts.” In the myth, the gods give the newly fashioned woman different qualities or adornments, which explains the name’s connection with gifts. Hesiod presents her creation as part of Zeus’s punishment for Prometheus, who had stolen fire for humanity.
Pandora is described as the first woman in this Greek mythic tradition. Her arrival introduces a new condition for human life: labor, disease, and other hardships spread after the jar is opened, while hope remains inside. The story is therefore linked both to the origin of suffering and to the place of hope within human existence.
“Pandora” is sometimes explained as “giver of all,” but “all-gifted” is the standard gloss for the name in discussions of Hesiod’s account. The myth’s name should also not be confused with later unrelated uses, including the name of a Saturnian moon and a modern music-streaming company.