Astraea is also the fifth-discovered asteroid (see 5 Astraea), the first asteroid discovered almost four decades after the original four.

In Greek mythology, Astraea ("star-maiden") was a daughter of Zeus and Themis. She and her mother were both personifications of justice. Astraea was the last of the immortals to live with humans during the Golden Age. As mankind became wicked, she was the last to stay on earth, ascending to heaven to become the constellation Virgo; the scales of justice she carried became the nearby constellation Libra.