心宿二，是這顆恆星固有的中文名稱，衍生自古希臘的名稱是Άντάρης，意思是「火星的敵手」，這是因為它紅色的外觀和火星這顆行星非常近似[21]。將心宿二與火星比較，可能起源於早期的美索不達米亞天文學[22]。但是，有些學着推測這顆恆星的名字可能是以阿拉伯在Mu'allaqat（懸掛詩）節慶中的戰士英雄人物Antar或Antarah ibn Shaddad命名的[22]。
Nicolet, B. Photoelectric photometric Catalogue of homogeneous measurements in the UBV System. Astronomy and Astrophysics Supplement Series. 1978, 34: 1–49. Bibcode:1978A&AS...34....1N.
Evans, D. S., The Revision of the General Catalogue of Radial Velocities, Batten, Alan Henry; Heard, John Frederick (編), Determination of Radial Velocities and their Applications, Proceedings from IAU Symposium no. 30, University of Toronto: International Astronomical Union, June 20–24, 1966, Bibcode:1967IAUS...30...57E
HR 6134 （頁面存檔備份，存於互聯網檔案館）, database entry, The Bright Star Catalogue, 5th Revised Ed. (Preliminary Version), D. Hoffleit and W. H. Warren, Jr., CDS ID [1] （頁面存檔備份，存於互聯網檔案館）. Accessed on line September 07, 2012.
Gettings, Fred ♦ The Arkana Dictionary of Astrology （頁面存檔備份，存於互聯網檔案館） Penguin Books, 1985, p. 24 ♦ "Antares: Sometimes called Antar, in confusion with a literary hero (see Allen), the modern name is said to be derived from its red colour, in that it was rival even of the planet Mars—the Greek, anti-Ares."
Allen, Richard Hinckley. Star names : their lore and meaning. Dover ed. New York: Dover Publications. 1963 [2020-10-09]. ISBN 0-486-21079-0. OCLC 637940. （原始內容存檔於2020-06-08）. Others say that it was Antar's Star, - but they forget Ptolemy, - the celebrated Antar or Antarah who, just previous to the time of Muhammad, was the mulatto warrior-hero of one of the Golden Mu'allakat." and "It pointed out to the Babylonians their 24th ecliptic constellation, Hurru, of uncertain meaning, itself being Urbat according to an astrolabe discovered in the palace of Sennacherib and interpreted by the last George Smith; Brown, however, assigns this title to stars in Lupus. Other Euphratean names were Bilu-sha-ziri, the Lord of the Seed; Kak-shisa, the Creator of Prosperity, according to Jensen, although this is generally ascribed to Sirius; and, in the lunar zodiac, Dar Lugal, the King, identified with the god of lightning, Lugal Tudda, the Lusty King. Naturally, the inscriptions make much of it in connection with the planet Mars, their Ul Suru, showing that its Arean association evidently had very early origin." and "In Egyptian astronomy it represented the goddess Selkit, Selk-t, or Serk-t, heralding the sunrise through her temples at the autumnal equinox about 3700-3500 B.C., and was the symbol of Isis in the pyramidal ceremonials. Renouf included it with Arcturus in the immense figure Menat.
[24]。
