The element was named after the asteroid that was discovered two years before it. Pallas was the second asteroid to be discovered (after Ceres), and is the third largest (after Ceres and Vesta). It was named after Pallas Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom and victory. The 'Pallas' element of the goddess's name probably means a young woman; she was the young woman of Athens. In later times, after the original meaning of the name had been forgotten, the Greeks invented myths to explain its origin – for example, that Pallas was a Giant whom Athena had slain in combat.
There are various theatres, and other places of entertainment, around the world with the name Palladium – but the London Palladium appears to be the oldest of them. No one seems to know why it was named after an element that was discovered more than 100 years before it opened (1803, as compared with 1910).
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