The Planet Is Named After The Roman Deity Mercury

Like all the planets, Mercury bears the name of a Roman god who was modeled after an Ancient Greek deity. In Roman mythology, the god Mercury was the son of Maia Maiestas and Jupiter; most of his attributes were derived from the Greek god Hermes.

Mercury was the fastest of the gods, according to myth, and he was the one that businesspeople prayed to in order to succeed in their dealings. And in Greek mythology, Hermes was said to as the gods' messenger. Mercury is the innermost planet in the solar system, and it looks to move fast from night to night, thus this is suitable.

Since Mercury could be seen without glasses, most ancient societies gave it a unique name. The planet was given the name Napu by the ancient Babylonians in honor of one of their gods. When Mercury was visible in the morning sky, it was known as Apollo, and when it was visible after sunset, it was known as Hermes. The ancient Greeks genuinely believed that Mercury was two planets. But when they recognized that the two objects were identical in the 4th century BCE, ancient astronomers continued to refer to Hermes, which later became Mercury with the Romans.