suggested a Pre-Greek origin of the name. The earliest attested form of the name is the Mycenaean Greek Li}}, a-re, written in the Linear B syllabic script.

The adjectival epithet, Areios ("warlike") was frequently appended to the names of other gods when they took on a warrior aspect or became involved in warfare: Zeus Areios, Athena Areia, even Aphrodite Areia