The Greek name Pandora means “all-gifted.”
It is formed from Greek elements commonly translated as pan, “all,” and doron, “gift.” The name reflects Hesiod’s description of the gods giving the newly fashioned woman various qualities or adornments. In the myth, Pandora is made by divine command and receives contributions from several gods.
The name does not mean that Pandora personally gives everything away. It describes her connection with the gifts supplied by the gods, and ancient interpreters have linked it to broader ideas about divine gifts, the earth, and fertility. The exact nuances of the compound have been discussed by classicists.
Pandora’s name is also sometimes confused with Anesidora, an ancient epithet associated with the same mythic figure or with an earth-related goddess. “Pandora” became the standard name in later literature, while Anesidora is chiefly important in scholarship about the myth’s origins.