Meaning and history
Athenais, conventionally written Athénaïs in French, is a French form of the ancient Greek name Athenais, meaning “of Athena” or “belonging to Athena.” Athena was the Greek goddess of wisdom, strategic warfare, and crafts, although the goddess’s own name has an uncertain pre-Greek etymology. The name was borne by the fifth-century empress Aelia Eudocia before her baptism. Another famous bearer was Athénaïs de Montespan, a mistress of Louis XIV.