In Greek/Roman myth:

Venuswas a Roman goddess principally associated with love, beauty and fertility, who played a key role in many Roman religious festivals and myths. Venus is the equivalent of the Greek goddess Aphrodite. she was born when Saturn cut off Uranus’ genitals and threw them into the sea, and from the sea foam arose Venus.  Myrtles, doves, sparrows, horses, and swans are sacred to her. (Taken from Wikipedia)

She was perhaps the most beautiful goddess of all and was desired by all. She was married to Vulcan (Hephaestus), but carried out countless affairs, most notably with Mars (Ares), the passionate god of war. Although she was very beautiful and sought to help many with their love lives, Venus was also very petty and jealous goddess who refused to let any other woman be as beautiful as her. 

In Sailor Moon:

Sailor Venus, aka Minako Aino, was the fifth and final addition to the Inner Sailor Team, although she was actually the very first to awaken. Sailor Venus uses light and energy based powers, many of which connected to love. Minako awakened a full year before Usagi and fought crime under the codename, Sailor V and even starred in her own series before Sailor Moon. Her parter is the cat Artemis. Even though Minako is fun-loving, hyper and a bit scatter-brained, she never fails to lead the other senshi in a crisis.

Similarities:

*whistles* In my opinion, out of all the mythological references for the Senshi, Minako takes the cake. Here are just a few examples of references found in the series, most of which from Codename: Sailor V:

This is just the references I could find on short notice! Codename: Sailor V seems to actually imply that she is the incarnation, or avatar, of Venus herself. Minako often refers to herself as the “goddess of love”, but this may very well be just a saying or catchphrase she has developed, not actually naming herself Venus. 

Venus was incredibly beautiful and was stated to have long blond hair. Minako is also very beautiful and is blond. Venus had a myriad of affairs and love interests, and Minako has had countless crushes, probably as a reference to this myth. Venus had a long-lasting affair with a youth named Adonis. In Codename: Sailor V, a youth named Adonis was in love with Sailor Venus. Venus was the goddess of love and beauty, and one of Sailor Venus’s titles is “Soldier of Love and Beauty.” Also, Sailor Venus’s final and most powerful attack “Venus Love and Beauty Shock” is a reference to this. Another thing I picked up that might be mythology related is the fact that Minako and Rei are best friends in the manga; perhaps this is in reference to the love between Venus and Mars.