Essentially urban and civilized, Athena was probably a pre-Hellenic goddess later taken over by the Greeks. She was widely worshipped, but in modern times she is associated primarily with Athens, to which she gave her name and protection. The Romans identified her with Minerva.

Why is Athena's Roman name Minerva?

Originally, Minerva was an Italian goddess of handicrafts closely associated to the Greek goddess Athena. The scholarly consensus, however, is that Minerva was indigenous, passing to the Romans from the Etruscan goddess Menrva, and that her name derives from meminisse, meaning 'to remember'.

Where did the name Minerva come from?

Italian: from the female personal name Minerva, from the name of the Roman goddess of wisdom, corresponding to Greek Athena.