In Hesiod’s myth, the Greek name Pandora literally means “all-gifted.”
The name is commonly explained from Greek elements meaning “all” and “gifts.” Hesiod connects Pandora with the gods’ gifts because different deities contribute qualities or adornments to the first woman. The name therefore describes her relationship to the gods rather than identifying a place, object, or family name.
Pandora’s creation follows Zeus’s decision to punish humanity after Prometheus helped humans obtain fire. Hesiod’s account presents her as part of a divine plan, and her name fits the story’s emphasis on gifts that carry complicated consequences. The gifts are not simply a list of beneficial abilities; the myth’s wider context is deliberately cautionary.
A common mix-up is the later interpretation “sender of all gifts.” That reading is associated with an alternative Greek analysis, but “all-gifted” is the standard literal gloss used for the mythological name. Pandora is also sometimes confused with later versions that make the container or its contents the main subject.