Many of the characters of the Hunger Games franchise have unique names, and the meanings behind them serve to foreshadow their roles in the story. As a series set in the future, it makes sense that most of the names within The Hunger Games or The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes would be unfamiliar to modern audiences. Some are inventions of author Suzanne Collins, while others came from notable Greek and Roman figures of history. Regardless, it seems that Collins took great care in choosing her characters’ names, building in layers of symbolism and connections to their roles or eventual fates.
The Hunger Games draws significant inspiration from the Roman Empire, specifically the gladiatorial games. While exploring the totalitarian government of Panem and the brutal Hunger Games themselves, the series creates an impactful commentary on a variety of social concepts. This is driven home, in part, by the characters’ prophetic names. Collins is far from the first author to consider her character’s futures when naming them—it’s a common literary practice going even further back than Shakespeare. However, the prophetic names in The Hunger Games were artfully subtle, adding even more flavor to the stories within.
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8 Katniss Plants Are Also Called “Arrowhead” Or “Sagittaria”
Katniss’ Greek Namesake Was The Inventor Of The Applause
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire book saw Katniss explain that her father had named her after the swamp potatoes that grew in the secret lake he frequented, and Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes furthered this by seeing Lucy Gray tell a young Snow all about katniss roots. There are heavy implications behind this reveal—it creates a connection between the Covey and Katniss’ father, as well as between Katniss and Snow himself. However, there is another layer to the meaning behind Katniss’ name that makes it even more impactful.
The leaves of katniss are shaped in such a way that they are sometimes called arrowhead plants, or “Sagittaria” which is interesting considering Katniss’ skill in archery. Still, her name does more than simply foreshadow the fact that she is good with a bow (that’s clear from beginning to end of The Hunger Games). The centaur typically associated with Sagittarius, Krotos, is said to be a phenomenal hunter and the inventor of the “applause.” This makes a lot of sense given Katniss’ role as a public spectacle.
7 President Coin’s Name Refers To Being “Two Sides Of The Same Coin.”
Coin Also Represents The Power Of Controlling Resources
The meaning of President Alma Coin’s name comes in several layers. The name Alma may come from the Latin root, almus, which means “nourishing.” This would mean that the president of District 13’s name references the nourishment of money—drawing attention to the fact that her people must depend on her rule entirely for survival. It’s also possible that Alma’s name comes from the Spanish word alma, which means “soul.” Similarly, this would refer to the soul of money and the Hunger Games‘ criticism of capitalism.
Still, it seems far more likely that Collins intended Coin’s name to foreshadow Katniss’ realization in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay that the new president of Panem was no better than Coriolanus Snow. Coin’s willingness to murder Capitol children, both with the bombs in front of the President’s mansion and in the newly established symbolic Hunger Games, proved that she was one of “two sides of the same coin.”
6 President Snow’s Name Reflects His Belief In His Purity
Snow’s Name Contrasts With His Evil Nature
In The Hunger Games, Snow’s name juxtaposed his vile evilness, which was taken even further in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. In the prequel novel, readers can see how Snow thinks of himself, his family, and Capitol citizens as a whole through his inner dialogue. The future dictator genuinely believed that he was better than everyone else despite his tendencies for cruelty and violence. At the end of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Snow determines that his superiority and purity made it his responsibility to lead Panem since everyone was too vile and barbaric to govern themselves.
5 Lucy Gray’s Name Connects To Her Moral Ambiguity
Lucy Gray Proves That Humans A Morally “Gray”
Since we meet Lucy Gray from Snow’s perspective in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, getting a read on her character can sometimes be challenging. Though she generally treats people with kindness, she is also open about her own darkest impulses. She was nurturing, gentle, and kind when she could be, but it didn’t take much for her to turn deadly, using poison and snakes to kill when it was necessary. In a way, she was both a songbird and a snake—fully aware of her moral ambiguity and simply doing her best to be good when she could.
For this reason, the name Lucy Gray was perfect for this character. While Snow believed himself to be white and “pure as the driven snow,” the District 12 tribute understood herself well enough to consider herself “gray,” with lyrics in her songs saying things like “All right, I’m bad, but then, that’s nothing new.” Where Snow thought humanity was definitively bad, Lucy Gray recognized that morality wasn’t so black and white.
4 Tigris’ Name Foreshadows Her Rebelliousness
Tigris’ Name Implies She Was Always A Destined Rebel
It was unclear in The Hunger Games whether Tigris got her name before or after her transformation, and Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes provided an answer. Snow’s cousin had been born with this name, which might have inspired the cosmetic surgeries she would receive to look like a tiger later in life. Of course, the prophetic names in the Hunger Games franchise are typically far more clever than this, and Tigris is no exception.
Though “tigris” means “tiger” in Latin, it means “fast” or “arrow-like” in Greek. Considering the “arrowhead” alternative to Katniss’ name, this seems to reference the fact that Tigris truly was the Mockingjay’s ally. In The Hunger Games, Katniss assumed that the bizarre-looking woman had only joined the rebellion because Snow had fired her from being a stylist in the games. However, Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes reveals that Tigriss was naturally kind and gentle. It’s likely that she was against Snow from the moment he snuffed out the last bit of good in his heart, as foreshadowed by her sharp, rebellious name.
3 Peeta’s Name Means “Rock,” Referencing His Role In Katniss’ Life
Peeta’s Name Also References His Status As A Baker
Peeta is another Hunger Games character with multiple meanings associated with his name. First, his name seems to be a variation of “pita,” which makes sense considering he is the son of District 12’s baker. However, “Peeta” is also considered a twist on the name “Peter,” which is derived from the Greek word “petros,” meaning “rock.” This is far better reflects Peeta’s role in Katniss’ life. Not only is he a rock on which Katniss can depend, but Peeta is unwavering in his convictions, believing from the beginning of The Hunger Games that surviving for the sake of survival isn’t enough.
2 Primrose Means “First Rose,” Referencing Her Delicate Innocence
Mr. Everdeen Named Both His Daughters After Plants
Mr. Everdeen had a love and fascination with flora, so he named both his daughters after edible plants. However, just as Katniss’ name had a further meaning in relation to her story, so does Primrose’s. “Prim” comes from the Latin word “primus,” which means “first.” Since Primrose flowers bloom early in spring, they are the “first roses” of the season. This is fitting for Katniss’ sister since she symbolizes spring in The Hunger Games—full of beauty, hope, and innocence. Of course, this makes her death all the more tragic, especially since Katniss’ story started in an effort to protect Primrose.
1 Rue’s Name Means “Regret,” Foreshadowing Her Death
Rue Is Also A Kind Of Flower That Blooms On New Growth
Rue is perhaps the most tragic character in The Hunger Games, and her death is among the most despicable. Katniss was only a moment too late to save the little girl, something that is foreshadowed by Rue’s name, which also means “regret.” In a major way, Rue’s death was the catalyst of the rebellion—the final straw for the Districts. Still, for Katniss, Rue was basically equivalent to her sister. The two girls were the same age and had a similar sweetness, and though Katniss never considered it, both little girls shared names with flowers.
The plant with which Rue shared a name is a semi-woody perennial that only blooms on new growth. This means that the plant does not produce buds until after the initial growth of spring. Considering Primrose’s name is synonymous with the first hopeful buds after winter, it’s significant that Rue’s name would reference the beauty that comes after. Primrose was the first person that Katniss would give everything for, but she learned through Rue in The Hunger Games that such innocent beauty existed beyond just her sister, and they deserved to be fought for as well.
