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In the modern world, Greek names are the personal names among people of Greek language and culture, generally consisting of a given name and a family name.
Ancient Greeks generally had a single name, often qualified with a patronymic, a clan or tribe, or a place of origin. Married women were identified by the name of their husbands, not their fathers.
Hereditary family names or surnames began to be used by elites in the Byzantine period. Well into the 9th century, they were rare. But by the 11th and 12th centuries, elite families often used family names.[1][2] Family names came from placenames, nicknames, or occupations.[3]
During the Ottoman period, surnames with Turkish prefixes such as "Hatzi-", "Kara-" and suffixes such as "-(i)lis", "-tzis", and "-oglou" became common, especially among Anatolian Greeks. It is not clear when stable family surnames became widely used. Though elite families often had stable family names, many of the "last names" used by Greeks into the 19th century were either patronymics or nicknames. It is also possible that family names were simply not recorded because Ottoman administrative practice preferred patronymics, and did not require surnames.[4]
In the 19th century, patronymic surnames became common.
For personal names, from the first century CE until the nineteenth century CE, pagan names from antiquity were mostly replaced by names from Christian scriptures and tradition. With the Modern Greek Enlightenment and the development of Greek nationalism, names from antiquity became popular again.[5]
Family names may be patronymic in origin or else based on occupation, location, or personal characteristic. These origins are often indicated by prefixes or suffixes. Traditionally a woman used a feminine version of her father's family name, replacing it with a feminine version of her husband's family name on marriage. In modern Greece, a woman keeps her father's family name for life but may use a husband's name.
Until the late 18th century, almost all Christian Greeks were named for Orthodox saints from the Old and New Testaments and early Christian tradition. Since then, names of both deities and mortals from antiquity have been popular as well.[5]
Male names usually end in -ας, -ης, ούς, and -ος, but sometimes ancient forms are also used. Female names almost always end in -α and -η, though a few end in -ώ with -ου being possible.
Demotic Forms
Most Greek first names in Katharévousa (which can be considered the "official" form of the first name) generally correspond to a demotic form, as well as customary shortened and/or diminutive variations. The Katharévousa form, itself equivalent to the name's form in Ancient Greek, is used in official papers, while the demotic form or the shortened/diminutive forms are the forms used in everyday life.
| Katharevousa | Demotic |
|---|---|
| Ιησούς (Iisoús) | |
| Ιωάννης (Ioannis) | Γιάννης (Yiannis) |
| Γεώργιος (Georgios) | Γιώργος (Yiorgos) |
| Μιχαήλ (Michail) | Μιχάλης (Michalis) |
| Γαβριήλ (Gavriil) | Γαβρίλος (Gavrilos) |
| Αντώνιος (Andonios) | Αντώνης (Andonis) |
| Ιάσων (Iason) | Ιάσονας (Iasonas) |
| Εμμανουήλ (Emmanouil) | Μανώλης (Manolis) |
Changes in Endings
Demotic forms tend to demonstrate endings that have undergone regularization. (For instance, in men's names, the oblique stem in the Katharévousa form is sometimes suffixed with -ας (gen. -α) to create the Demotic form of the name.)
| Ancient &
Katharévousa |
Demotic |
|---|---|
| -ωρ/-ορος | -ορας/-ορα |
| -ων/-ωνος | -ωνας/-ωνα |
| -ων/-ονος | -ονας/-ονα |
| -αξ/-ακος | -ακας/-ακα |
| -εύς/-έως | -έας/-εά |
| -ις* | -η/-ης
-ιδα/-ιδας |
*The oblique stems of the ancient names in -ις, whose descendants appear with -η/-ης and -ιδα/-ιδας, varied. At the very least, the initial origins of Demotic's -ιδα/-ιδας was almost certainly Ancient Greek's -ις/-ιδος (with the oblique stem being suffixed with -α/-ας).
Variations
Reason for Variations
Since antiquity, there has been a strong tradition of naming the first and second sons after the paternal and maternal grandfathers and the first and second daughters after the paternal and maternal grandmothers.[6] Although this tradition is partially challenged in modern urban Greece, it is still practiced in much of the country.
This results in a continuation of names in the family line, but cousins with the same official name are almost always called by different shortened forms or diminutives. These variants make it possible to differentiate between cousins despite these traditionally having the same official names because they are traditionally named after their grandparents.
Shortened Forms
The use of shortened forms is widespread in Greek. Most Greek first names correspond to a customary shortened form. These are constructed by breaking one or more syllables, at the beginning or at the end of the first name, resulting in a form generally in two or even three syllables. The formation of these can be done according to different phenomena, alone or associated with each other:
- Apheresis (loss of syllables at the beginning of the name); for example: Παναγιώτα (Panagióta) → Γιώτα (Gióta)
- Apocope (loss of syllables at the end of the name); for example: Νικόλαος (Nikólaos) → Νίκος (Níkos)
- Syncope (loss of syllables inside the name); for example: Θεόδωρος (Theódoros) → Θόδωρος (Thódoros)
- Assimilation (propagation of a sound on the neighboring sound); for example: Πηνελόπη (Pinelópi) → Πόπη (Pópi)
- Repetition; for example: Παρασκευή (Paraskeví) → Βιβή (Viví)
- Borrowing from another language, notably English; for example: Βασίλειος (Vasíleios) → Μπίλης (Bílis, Billy); Αθανασία (Athanasia) → Νάνσυ (Nánsy, Nancy)
- Using another shorter Greek name of similar sound; for example: Παρασκευάς (Paraskevas) → Πάρις (Paris)
Diminutives
Another method of variation is the use of diminutives. The construction of diminutive forms is done by adding a suffix, either to the first name, or to the shortened version of the first name. The suffixes are generally:
- -άκης (-akis) or -ούλης (-oulis) for masculine nouns
- -ίτσα (-itsa), -ούλα (-oula), or -ιώ (-io) for feminine nouns
Examples:
| First name | Shortened Form | Diminutives(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Ελένη
(Eleni) |
Ελενίτσα
(Elenitsa) | |
| Πέτρος
(Petros) |
Πετράκης, Πετρούλης
(Petrakis, Petroulis) | |
| Κωνσταντίνος
(Konstantinos) |
Κώστας
(Kostas) |
Κωστάκης
(Kostakis) |
| Ειρήνη
(Eirini) |
Ρήνα
(Rina) |
Ρηνούλα, Ρηνιώ
(Rinoula, Rinio) |
Shortened Version of Diminutives
Furthermore, diminutives themselves have shortened forms. For example, Takis may be short for Kostakis or Panagiotakis, themselves derived from Konstantinos and Panagiotis.
Examples:
| First name | Shortened Form | Diminutive | Shortened Diminutive |
|---|---|---|---|
| Παναγιώτης
(Panagiotis) |
Παναγιωτάκης
(Panagiotakis) |
Τάκης
(Takis) | |
| Δήμητρα
(Dimitra) |
Δημητρούλα
(Dimitroula) |
Ρούλα
(Roula) | |
| Κωνσταντίνος
(Konstantinos) |
Κώστας
(Kostas) |
Κωστάκης
(Kostakis) |
Τάκης
(Takis) |
Other Trends
There is a strong clustering of first names by locality according to patron saints, famous churches, or monasteries. Examples include:
- Spyridon and Spyridoula in Corfu
- Gerasimos in Kefalonia
- Dionysios and Dionysia in Zakynthos,
- Andreas or Andrea or Androulla in Patras and the rest of Achaea province, as well as Cyprus and Andreanos or Andreana Cyprus
- Markos and Markella in Chios
- Savvas, Charalambis for those descended from Asia Minor
- Emmanuel or Manolis, Iosif (Joseph) or Sifis, Manousos, and Minas or Mina in Crete
- Tsambikos or Tsampika/Mika, Katholikos or Katholiki in Rhodes.
- Stratis or Stratoula and Taxiarchis or Taxiarchoula in Lesbos.
When Greek names are used in other languages, they are sometimes rendered phonetically, such as Eleni for Ἑλένη, and sometimes by their equivalents, like Helen in English or Hélène in French. The Vasiliki (Βασιλική) is Basilica in Italian or Basilique in French. The Elisavet (Ελισάβετ) is Elizabeth in English or Elliezet in French. In the United States, there are also conventional anglicizations based on phonetic similarity rather than etymology, for example James or Jimmy for Δημήτρης / Dimitris (nickname Ντίμης / Dimis, Ντέμης / Demis hence Jimmy), despite the English name James and its diminutive Jimmy actually coming from Greek Ἰάκωβος Iakobos, English Jacob (through Vulgar Latin Iacomus from Latin Iacobus, which is the Latinized form of Ἰάκωβος Iakobos in the Vulgar Latin and originally Greek New Testament).
Celebration
The name Mariannos comes from the names: Marios, Ioannis or the whole Mariannos in the Church is heard as two separate names but also as a whole between them. If it is heard as two names it celebrates: the Virgin Mary (August 15) and Saint John the Baptist (January 7.) If it is heard as a whole it celebrates: Saint Marianna (February 28.)
The name Marianna comes from the names: Maria, Anna or the whole Marianna in the Church is heard as two separate names but also as a whole between them. If heard as two names it celebrates: Virgin Mary (August 15th) and Saint Anna (December 9th or July 25th.) If heard as a whole it celebrates: Saint Marianna (February 28th.)
The name Marianthi comes from the names Maria which is the name of the Virgin Mary and means Strong, Fertile and from the name Anthi which comes from the Ancient Greek word Anthos which means Flower. In the Church it is heard as two separate names but also as a whole between them. If you hear it as two separate names it can celebrate Panagia (August 15th) and Anthis (December 15th) if you hear it as a whole it celebrates her (September 1st.)
Greek family names are most commonly patronymics but may also be based on occupation, personal characteristics or location. The feminine version is usually the genitive of the family name of the woman's father or husband; so, for example, Mr. Yannatos and Mrs. Yannatou.
As a result of their codification in the Modern Greek state, surnames have Katharevousa forms even though Katharevousa is no longer the official standard. Thus, the Ancient Greek name Eleutherios forms the Modern Greek proper name Lefteris. In the past, people in speaking used the family name followed by the given name, so John Eleutherios was called Leftero-giannis. In modern practice he is called Giannis Eleftheriou, where Giannis is the popular form of the formal Ioannis but Eleftheriou is an archaic genitive. For women, the surname is usually a Katharevousa genitive of a male name, whereas back in Byzantine times there were separate feminine forms of male surnames, such as Palaiologína for Palaiológos which nowadays would be Palaiológou.[7][8]
In the past, women would change their surname on first marrying to that of their husband in the genitive case, so marking the change of dependence to husband from father. In early Modern Greek society, women were named with -aina as a feminine suffix on the husband's given name, for example "Giorgaina" signifying "wife of George". Nowadays, a woman's surname does not change upon marriage but she can use the husband's surname socially. Children usually receive the paternal surname, though some children receive the maternal surname in addition or exclusively.[9]
The use of the patronymic as part of a personal name in everyday language is scarce and virtually non-existent, unlike languages with Eastern Slavic naming customs. It is used in lieu of the father's full name and it is inserted between a person's given name and surname. The use of the matronymic is even more rare.
In a dated, self-styling practice, if Ioánnis Papadopoulos has a daughter whose first name is María and a son whose first name is Andreas, their full names will be María Ioánnou Papadopoúlou and Andréas Ioánnou Papadópoulos. If María then marries George Demetriádes, she may retain her maiden name or choose to be styled María Geōrgíou Demetriádou. If she is widowed, she will revert to her father's patronymic but retain her husband's surname to become María Ioánnou Demetriádou. This largely obsolete styling practice is not reflected in official documents or the spoken language, but could be utilized by, e.g., authors or anyone who uses his/her name for business purposes.
The foremost-and compulsory-identification document in Greece, the Greek identity card, includes name information as follows:
- Surname (Επώνυμο)
- Given name(s) (Όνομα)
- Father's name (Όνομα Πατέρα)
- Father's surname (Επώνυμο Πατέρα)
- Mother's name (Όνομα Μητέρας)
- Mother's surname (Επώνυμο Μητέρας)
Out of the six fields, only the first three are transliterated in English per ELOT 743/ISO 843. The first two comprise the personal name and the rest is just identity information. The Cypriot identity card also includes father's and mother's name and surname in Greek and English; however all fields are transliterated.
In other significant identity documents, like the Greek passport and Greek driving license, compliant to European standards, the mother's and father's names are completely omitted. Corresponding documents in Cyprus omit them as well.
In other official documents in Greece, such as a marriage certificate, names are included accordingly (Surname/Given Names/Father's Name/Father's Surname/Mother's Name/Mother's Surname).
In education
In report cards and the Apolytirion, the students' names are displayed as "(student's full name) of (father's full name) and (mother's full name)".
However, in universities and specifically university degrees, the practice varies. For example, university degrees of the Aegean University displays graduates' names as "(student's surname and name) of (father's given name)",[10] whilst degrees from the University of West Attica display both the patronymic and the matronymic.[11]
Ancient names
- Acamas (Ἀκάμας)
- Aheos (Ἀχαιός)
- Achilles (Ἀχιλλεύς)
- Adonis (Ἄδωνις)
- Aeneas (Αἰνείας)
- Agamemnon (Αγαμέμνων)
- Agatha (Αγαθή)
- Ayathocles (Ἀγαθοκλῆς)
- Ayenor (Ἀγήνωρ)
- Alcaeus (Ἀλκαῖος)
- Alcestis (Άλκηστις)
- Alcibiades (Ἀλκιβιάδης)
- Alcman (Ἀλκμάν)
- Alcyone (Ἀλκυόνη)
- Alcyon (Αλκύοννος)
- Alexandros (Ἀλέξανδρος)
- Alexios (Αλέξιος)
- Amalia (Αμαλία)
- Ambrosius (Αμβρόσιος)
- Amydas (Ἀμύντας)
- Amymone (Αμυμώνη)
- Anacreon (Ἀνακρέων)
- Anargyros (Ανάργυρος)
- Anatoli (Ανατολή)
- Anaximandros (Ἀναξίμανδρος)
- Antenor (Ἀντήνωρ)
- Antiochus (Ἀντίoχoς)
- Antiope (Αντιόπη)
- Androcles (Ἀνδροκλῆς)
- Andromache (Ἀνδρομάχη)
- Andronicus (Ἀνδρόνικος)
- Andromeda (Ἀνδρομέδα)
- Antigone (Ἀντιγόνη)
- Aphrodite (Ἀφροδίτη)
- Amphitryon (Αμφιτρύων)
- Amphitrite (Αμφιτρίτη)
- Apollo (Απόλλων)
- Apolleon (Απολλεών)
- Apollonius (Απολλώνιος)
- Apollonia (Απολλωνία)
- Arcesilaus (Ἀρκεσίλαος)
- Archelaus (Ἀρχέλαος)
- Archelochus (Ἀρχέλοχος)
- Archimedes (Ἀρχιμήδης)
- Arete (Ἀρήτη)
- Areti (Aρετή)
- Argus (Ἀργός)
- Ariadne (Ἀριάδνη)
- Aristarchus (Ἀρίσταρχος)
- Aristides (Ἀριστείδης)
- Aristea (Αριστέα)
- Aristippus (Ἀρίστιππος)
- Aristo (Ἀρίστων)
- Aristocles (Ἀριστοκλῆς)
- Aristophanes (Ἀριστοφάνης)
- Aristotle (Ἀριστοτέλης)
- Αrtemios (Αρτέμιος)
- Artemis (Ἄρτεμις)
- Artemisia (disambiguation) (Αρτεμισία)
- Arion (Ἀρίων)
- Aspasia (Ἀσπασία)
- Athena (Ἀθηνᾶ)
- Athenodoros (Ἀθηνόδωρος)
- Atreus (Ἀτρεύς)
- Berenice (Βερενίκη)
- Briseis (Βρισηίδα]
- Calchas (Κάλχας)
- Calliope (Καλλιόπη)
- Callirrhoe (Καλλιρρόη)
- Cassandra (Κασσάνδρα)
- Cassiopeia (Κασσιόπεια)
- Circe (Κίρκη)
- Cybele (Κυβέλη)
- Chryses (Χρύσης)
- Cimon (Κίμων)
- Cleanthes (Κλεάνθης)
- Clearchus (Κλέαρχος)
- Clelia (Κλέλια)
- Cleopatra (Κλεοπάτρα)
- Clio (Κλειώ)
- Clymenus (Κλύμενος)
- Clymene (Κλυμένη)
- Clytaemnestra (Κλυταιμνήστρα)
- Coön (Κόων)
- Creon (Κρέων)
- Crino (Κρινώ)
- Daedalus (Δαίδαλος)
- Danaë (Δανάη)
- Daphne (Δάφνη)
- Demeter (Δημήτηρ)
- Democritus (Δημόκριτος)
- Demoleon (Δημολέων)
- Demosthenes (Δημοσθένης)
- Despina (Δέσποινα)
- Diocles (Διοκλῆς)
- Diodorus (Διόδωρος)
- Diogenes (Διογένης)
- Diomedes (Διομήδης)
- Dionysios (Διονύσιος)
- Dionysia (Διονυσία)
- Dionysus (Διόνυσος)
- Dione (Διώνη)
- Electra (Ἡλέκτρα)
- Ellie (Έλλη)
- Empedocles (Ἐμπεδοκλῆς)
- Epictetus (Ἐπίκτητος)
- Epicurus (Ἐπίκουρος)
- Eratosthenes (Ἐρατοσθένης)
- Eteocles (Ἐτεοκλῆς)
- Euclid (Εὐκλείδης)
- Eucratides (Εὐκρατίδης)
- Euripides (Εὐριπίδης)
- Europa (Εὐρώπη)
- Eurydice (Εὐρυδίκη)
- Eurymachus (Εὐρύμαχος)
- Euterpe (Ευτέρπη)
- Euthydemus (Εὐθύδημος)
- Euthymia (Εὐθυμία)
- Gaea (Γαῖα)
- Glaucus (Γλαῦκος)
- Gorgias (Γοργίας)
- Harmonia (Ἁρμονία)
- Hector (Ἕκτωρ)
- Helen (Ἑλένη)
- Helianthe (Ἡλιάνθη)
- Helicaon (Ἑλικάων)
- Heliodorus (Ἡλιόδωρος)
- Hera (Ἥρα)
- Heracles (Ἡρακλῆς)
- Heraclea (Ηράκλεια)
- Hermes (Ἑρμῆς)
- Hermione (Ἑρμιόνη)
- Herodotus (Ἡρόδοτος)
- Heron (Ερωδιός)
- Hesiod (Ἡσίοδος)
- Hippocrates (Ἱπποκράτης)
- Hippolyte (Ἱππολύτη)
- Hippolytus (Ἱππόλυτος)
- Homer (Ὅμηρος)
- Hyacinth (Ὑάκινθος)
- Hypatia (Ὑπατία)
- Ianthe (Ἰάνθη)
- Icarus (Ἴκαρος)
- Idomeneus (Ἰδομενεύς)
- Iliad (Ιλιάδα)
- Ino (Ἰνώ)
- Ion (Ἴων)
- Iphidamas (Ἰφιδάμας)
- Iphigenia (Ἰφιγένεια)
- Irene/Irini (Εἰρήνη)
- Isioni (Ησιόνη)
- Ismene (Ἰσμήνη)
- Iole (Ιόλη)
- Jason (Ἰάσων)
- Jocasta (Ἰοκάστη)
- Kallisti (Καλλίστη)
- Kallisto (Καλλιστώ)
- Laodamas (Λαοδάμας)
- Laodice (Λαοδίκη)
- Leonidas (Λεωνίδας)
- Leto (Λητώ)
- Lycurgus (Λυκοῦργος)
- Medea (Μήδεια)
- Melpomene (Μελπομένη)
- Menander (Μένανδρος)
- Menelaus (Μενέλαος)
- Menia (Μένια)
- Merope (Μερόπη)
- Metrodorus (Μητρόδωρος)
- Miltiades (Μιλτιάδης)
- Mirka (Μίρκα)
- Myron (Μύρων)
- Myrto (Μυρτώ)
- Myrtali (Μυρτάλη)
- Nauplius (Ναύπλιος)
- Nausimedon (Ναυσιμέδων)
- Narcissus (Νάρκισσος)
- Neoptolemus (Νεοπτόλεμος)
- Nestor (Νέστωρ)
- Nefeli (Νεφέλη)
- Nicander (Νίκανδρος)
- Nicanor (Nικάνωρ)
- Nicodemus (Νικόδημος)
- Nike (Νίκη)
- Nikolaos (Νικόλαος)
- Oceanus (Ὠκεανός)
- Odysseus (Ὀδυσσεύς)
- Oedipus (Οἰδίπους)
- Olympia (Ολυμπία)
- Olympias (Ὀλυμπιάς)
- Orestis (Ὀρέστης)
- Orpheus (Ὀρφεύς)
- Pandora (Πανδώρα)
- Pantaleon (Πανταλέων)
- Paris (Πάρις)
- Patroclus (Πάτροκλος)
- Pausanias (Παυσανίας)
- Pegasus (Πήγασος)
- Peleus (Πηλεύς)
- Penelope (Πηνελόπη)
- Pericles (Περικλῆς)
- Perseus (Περσέας)
- Persephone (Περσεφόνη)
- Phaedon (Φαίδων)
- Phaedra (Φαίδρα)
- Pheidias or Phidias (Φειδίας)
- Phenia (Φένια)
- Philippos (Φίλιππος)
- Philoctetes (Φιλοκτήτης)
- Philon (Φίλων)
- Phoebus (Φοίβος)
- Phoebe (Φοίβη)
- Phyllis (Φυλλίς)
- Pindar (Πίνδαρος)
- Plato (Πλάτων)
- Platena (Πλάτενα)
- Polemon (Πολέμωνος)
- Polybus (Πόλυβος)
- Polynices (Πολυνείκης)
- Polybios (Πολύβιος)
- Polyxenios (Πολυξένιος)
- Polyxenia (Πολυξένια)
- Polyxenos (Πολυξένος)
- Polyxeni (Πολυξένη)
- Priam (Πρίαμος)
- Prometheus (Προμηθέας)
- Ptolemy (Πτολεμαῖος)
- Pythagoras (Πυθαγόρας)
- Pyrrhus (Πύρρος)
- Rhea (Ῥέα)
- Selene (Σελήνη)
- Seleucus (Σέλευκος)
- Simonides (Σιμωνίδης)
- Socrates (Σωκράτης)
- Solon (Σόλων)
- Sophocles (Σοφοκλῆς)
- Strato (Στράτων)
- Talthybius (Ταλθύβιος)
- Telemachus (Τηλέμαχος)
- Tethys (Τηθύς)
- Thaleia (Θάλεια)
- Thenia (Θένια)
- Theano (Θεανώ)
- Thekla (Θέκλα)
- Theophanes (Θεοφάνης)
- Theofania (Θεοφανία)
- Themistocles (Θεμιστοκλῆς)
- Theodoros (Θεόδωρος)
- Theodora (Θεοδώρα)
- Theophrastus (Θεόφραστος)
- Theseus (Θησεύς)
- Thestor (Θέστωρ)
- Thetis (Θέτις)
- Thraso (Θράσων)
- Thrasybulus (Θρασύβουλος)
- Thrasymachus (Θρασύμαχος)
- Thucydides (Θουκυδίδης)
- Urania (Οὐρανία)
- Uranus (Οὐρανός)
- Xanthi (Ξανθή)
- Xanthippe (Ξανθίππη)
- Xenocrates (Ξενοκράτης)
- Xenophon (Ξενοφῶν)
- Zeno (Ζήνων)
- Zeus (Δίας)
Biblical and Christian names
- Aikaterine (Αἰκατερίνη)
- Alexios (Ἀλέξιος)
- Alice (Αλίκη)
- Amaryllis (Αμαρυλλίς)
- Ananias (Ἀνανίας)
- Anastasios (Ἀναστάσιος)
- Archangelos (Αρχάγγελος)
- Archangelia (Αρχαγγελία)
- Αrgie (Αργυρώ)
- Arleta (Αρλέτα)
- Andreas (Ἀνδρέας)
- Andrea (Ανδρέα)
- Andreanos (Ανδρεανός)
- Andreana (Ανδρεάνα)
- Angelos (Άγγελος)
- Angie (Αγγελική)
- Anna (Ἄννα)
- Anthi (Ανθή)
- Anthimos (Ἄνθιμος)
- Antonios (Ἀντώνιος)
- Athanasios (Ἀθανάσιος)
- Athenais (Αθηναΐς)
- Agnes (Αγνή)
- Adam (Αδάμ)
- Adrian (Αδριανός)
- Adriana (Αδριάνα)
- Barbara (Βαρβάρα)
- Bartholomaios (Βαρθολομαῖος)
- Valentine (Βαλεντίνος)
- Valentina (Βαλεντίνα)
- Valerius (Βαλέριος)
- Valeria (Βαλέρια)
- Vanessa (Βανέσσα)
- Vasileios / Vasilios (Βασίλειος)
- Vasileia (Βασιλεία)
- Vasilikos (Βασιλικός)
- Vasiliki (Βασιλική)
- Vasilisa (Βασίλισσα)
- Venetios (Βενέτιος)
- Venetia (Βενετία)
- Violanda (Βιολάντα)
- Violetos (Βιολέτος)
- Violeta (Βιολέτα)
- Victor (Βίκτωρας)
- Victoria (Βικτώρια / Βικτωρία)
- Virginia (Βιργινία)
- Vitalis (Βιτάλης)
- Vagia (Βάϊα / Βάγια)
- Calliope (Καλλιόπη)
- Casey (Κασσιανή)
- Corina (Κορίνα)
- Charalambos (Χαράλαμπος)
- Charilaos (Χαρίλαος)
- Chariclea (Χαρίκλεια)
- Charytin (Χαριτίνη)
- Christianos (Χριστιανός)
- Christiana (Χριστιάνα)
- Christos (Χρίστος / Χρήστος)
- Christina (Χριστίνα)
- Christoforos (Χριστόφορος)
- Chloe (Χλόη)
- Damianos (Δαμιανός)
- Daniel (Δανιήλ)
- Daniela (Δανιέλα)
- David (Δαβίδ)
- Dimitrios (Δημήτριος)
- Despina (Δέσποινα)
- Dioscoros (Διόσκουρος)
- Dorotheos (Δωροθέος)
- Dorothea (Δωροθέα)
- Eleutherius (Ελευθέριος)
- Eleni (Ἑλένη)
- Eleonora (Ελεονώρα)
- Elias (Ἠλίας)
- Elia (Ήλια)
- Eliana (Ηλιάνα)
- Elizabeth (Ἐλισάβετ)
- Emmanouil (Εμμανουήλ)
- Emmanuella (Εμμανουέλα)
- Erastus (Ἔραστος)
- Erato (Ερατώ)
- Erotokritos (Ερωτόκριτος)
- Errico (Ερρίκος)
- Eudocia (Εὐδοκία)
- Evgenia (Εὐγενία)
- Eusebius (Εὐσέβιος)
- Eva (Εύα)
- Evangelos (Εὐάγγελος)
- Evangelie (Ευαγγελία)
- Evelina (Εβελίνα)
- Eve (Εύη)
- Filio (Φιλιώ)
- Fotios (Φώτιος)
- Fotia (Φωτία)
- Fotinos (Φωτεινός)
- Fotini (Φωτεινή)
- Gabriel (Γαβριήλ)
- Georgios (Γεώργιος)
- Gerasimos (Γεράσιμος)
- Glykeria (Γλυκερία)
- Grigorios (Γρηγόριος)
- Iakovos (Ἰάκωβος)
- Ieremias (Ἱερεμίας)
- Icarus (Ίκαρος)
- Ieronymos (Ιερώνυμος)
- Irene (Εἰρήνη)
- Isidore (Ισίδωρος)
- Isidora (Ισιδώρα)
- Isaakios (Ισαάκιος)
- Isaac (Ισαάκ)
- Isaias (Ἠσαΐας)
- Joachim (Ἰωακείμ)
- Joannis (Ἰωάννης)
- Joanna (Ιωάννα)
- Jonah (Ἰωνᾶς)
- Joseph (Ἰωσήφ)
- Josephine (Ιωσηφίνα)
- Joulia (Ιουλία)
- Konstantinos (Κωνσταντῖνος)
- Kyrillos (Κύριλλος)
- Lazaros (Λάζαρος)
- Lambros (Λάμπρος)
- Lavrentios (Λαυρέντιος)
- Leo (Λέων)
- Leonidas (Λεωνίδας)
- Liza (Λίζα)
- Loukas (Λουκᾶς)
- Loukia (Λουκία)
- Lucian (Λουκιανός)
- Lydia (Λυδία)
- Luisa (Λουίζα)
- Ludovico (Λουδοβίκος)
- Magdalene (Μαγδαληνή)
- Magnolia (Μανώλια)
- Makarios (Μακάριος)
- Mánia (Μάνια)
- Margaret (Μαργαρίτα)
- Marios (Μάριος)
- Maria (Μαρία)
- Mariannos (Μαριάννος)
- Marianna (Μαριάννα)
- Marinos (Μαρίνος)
- Marina (Μαρίνα)
- Markos (Μάρκος)
- Marcellus (Μάρκελος)
- Marcellα (Μαρκέλλα)
- Martha (Μάρθα)
- Marianthi (Μαριάνθη)
- Matthaios (Ματθαῖος)
- Maximos (Μάξιμος)
- Maximilian (Μαξιμιλιανός)
- Melina (Μελίνα)
- Melitine (Μελιτίνη)
- Michael (Μιχαήλ/Μιχάλης)
- Miranda (Μιράντα)
- Moses (Μωϋσῆς)
- Napoleon (Ναπολέων)
- Napoleon (Ναπολεών)
- Nectarius (Νεκτάριος)
- Nicanor (Nικάνωρ)
- Nicodemus (Νικόδημος)
- Nicolaos (Νικόλαος)
- Nicole (Νικολέτα)
- Niketas (Νικήτας)
- Nikephoros (Νικηφόρος)
- Ninos (Νίνος)
- Nina (Νίνα)
- Ortansia (Ορτανσία)
- Pagona (Παγώνα)
- Panayiotis (Παναγιώτης)
- Panteleimon/Pantelis (Παντελεήμων)
- Paraskeve (Παρασκευή)
- Pavlos (Παῦλος)
- Pavlina (Παυλίνα)
- Polina (Πωλίνα)
- Pigi (Πηγή)
- Petros (Πέτρος)
- Poseidon (Ποσειδών)
- Philemon (Φιλήμων)
- Procopios (Προκόπιος)
- Raphael (Ραφαήλ)
- Raphaelia (Ραφαηλία / Ραφαέλα)
- Rebecca (Ρεβέκκα)
- Rigas (Ρήγας)
- Rovértos (Ροβέρτος)
- Rosa (Ρόζα)
- Roubini (Ρουμπίνη)
- Savvas (Σάββας)
- Sakellarios (Σακελλαριος)
- Sarah (Σάρα)
- Seraphim (Σεραφείμ)
- Sergios (Σέργιος)
- Silas (Σίλας)
- Simeon (Συμεών)
- Simos (Σίμος, Σύμος)
- Simoni (Σιμώνη)
- Smaragda (Σμαράγδα)
- Solomon (Σολομών)
- Somos (Σόμος)
- Sofia (Σοφία)
- Sultana (Σουλτάνα)
- Spyridon (Σπυρίδων)
- Stamatina (Σταματίνα)
- Staurakios (Σταυράκιος)
- Staikos (Στάϊκος)
- Stavros (Σταῦρος)
- Stacy (Αναστασία)
- Stefanos (Στέφανος)
- Stylianos (Στυλιανός / Στέλιος)
- Styliani (Στυλιανή / Στέλλα)
- Styliana (Στυλιάνα / Στέλλα)
- Tatiana (Τατιάνα)
- Thaddeus (Θαδδαῖος)
- Theofilos (Θεόφιλος)
- Thomas (Θωμάς)
- Thomai (Θωμαή)
- Thomais (Θωμαΐς)
- Thomaida (Θωμαΐδα)
- Timotheos (Τιμόθεος)
- Yvonne (Υβόννη)
- Zacharias (Ζαχαρίας)
- Zoe (Ζωή)
Mixed names
- Amelia / Elina (Αμελίνα)
- Angeliki / Elina (Αγγελίνα)
- Anna / Maria (Ανναμαρία)
- Andreas / Ioannis (Ανδρεάννος or Ανδρεαννός)
- Andrea / Anna (Ανδρεάννα)
- Argyro / Nikoleta (Αρλέτα)
- Vasileia / Anna (Βασιλειάννα)
- Vasiliki / Anna (Βασιλιάννα)
- Vasileia / Elina (Βασιλείνα)
- Vasiliki / Elina (Βασιλίνα)
- Vasileia / Eleni (Βασιλένα)
- Vasiliki / Eleni (Βασιλένα)
- Georgia / Anna (Γεωργιάννα)
- Georgia / Vanessa (Γιοβάνα)
- Eleni / Anna (Ελεάννα)
- Eleni / Nora (Ελεονώρα)
- Ellie / Georgia (Ελληζέτ)
- Elina / Anthi (Ελιάνθη)
- Emmelia / Elina (Εμμελίνα)
- Evangelia / Angeliki (Ευαγγελική)
- Ilia / Anna (Ηλιάννα)
- Ilia / Anthi (Ηλιάνθη)
- Ioanna / Vanessa (Ιωβάνα)
- Ioannis / Markos (Γιαννμάρκος)
- Nikoleta / Elina (Νικολίνα)
- Kleio / Nikoleta (Κλεονίκη)
- Kleio / Patra (Κλεοπάτρα)
- Luiza / Anna (Λουιζάννα)
- Luiza / Ioanna (Λουιζιάννα)
- Maria / Adamadia (Μαριάντα)
- Maria / Anna (Μαριάννα)
- Maria / Anthi (Μαριάνθη)
- Maria / Apostolia (Μαρίλια)
- Maria / Vasileia (Μαρισίλεια)
- Maria / Vasiliki (Μαριβάσια)
- Maria / Vili (Μαριβήλη / Ίλη)
- Maria / Georgia (Μαριτζίνα)
- Maria / Eleni (Μαριλένα / Μαριαλένα / Μαριλένη / Μαριαλένη)
- Maria / Eleutheria (Μαριθέα / Μαρίλθεια)
- Marina / Ellie (Μαρινέλλη)
- Maria / Ellie (Μαριέλλη)
- Maria / Ilia (Μαριήλια)
- Maria / Liza (Μαριλίζα)
- Maria / Nektaria (Μάνια)
- Maria / Nikoleta / tta (Μαριέτα / ττα)
- Maria / Paraskeve (Μαριεύη)
- Maria / Christina (Μαριτίνα)
- Maria / Fotini (Μαριφαίη)
- Marina / Georgia (Μαριντζίνα)
- Marina / Nektaria (Μάρνια / Μαρίνια)
- Marios / Ioannis (Μαριάννος)
- Paraskeve / Anna (Βιβιάννα)
- Raphaela / Ilia (Ραφαήλια)
- Raphael / Ilias (Ραφαήλιος)
- Stavroula / Paraskeve (Σταύη)
- Styliani / Anna (Στυλιάννα)
- Christina / Anna (Χριστιάννα)
- Christina / Elina (Χριστελίνα)
- Chrysa / Elina (Χρυσελίνα)
- Chrysa / Anthi (Χρυσάνθη)
Diminutive names
- Anastasios (Αναστάσης, Τάσος, Τάσης, Τασούλης, Σούλης)
- Anastasia (Αναστασούλα, Νατάσσα, Τασούλα, Σούλα, Τασσώ, Τασία, Σία, Σίσσυ)
- Angelikos (Άγγελος, Αγγελής)
- Angeliki (Αγγελικώ, Αγγελικούλα, Αγγέλλω, Αγγέλα, Άντζελα, Άντζυ, Γκέλη, Γκέλυ)
- Antonis (Τόνης)
- Antonia (Τόνια)
- Apostolis (Τόλης)
- Apostolia (Τόλια, Λία)
- Andreana (Ανδρέα, Άνδρεα)
- Andriana (Άνδρια)
- Archangelos (Άγγελος)
- Archangelia (Αρχαγγέλα, Αγγέλα, Άντζελα, Άντζυ, Γκέλυ)
- Argyro (Αργυρούλα, Υρώ, Ρούλα)
- Athanasios (Θανάσης, Θάνος, Σάκης, Νάσος)
- Athanasia (Νάσια, Θανάσω, Νάνσυ)
- Athena (Νανά, Νίνα)
- Barbara (Βέρα)
- Charalambos (Χάρης, Λάμπης, Μπάμπης, Χάμπος, Πάμπος)
- Demetrios (Δημήτρης, Δημητράκης, Μήτσος, Μητσάκος, Μίμης, Μιμάκος, Μιμίκος, Ντέμης)
- Demetra (Δημητρούλα, Μίτση, Μιμή, Μιμίκα, Ντέμη)
- Demosthenes (Δήμος)
- Dionysios (Διονυσάκης, Ντένης, Νιόνιος)
- Dionysia (Διώνη, Διόνη, Διονυσούλα, Ντένη, Ντένια)
- Dorotheos (Δώρος)
- Dorothea (Δώρα)
- Efsevia (Σέβη)
- Eliana (Ήλια)
- Elina (Λίνα)
- Elisavet (Έλσα)
- Emmanouellia (Εμμανουέλα, Εμμανουέλλα, Μανουέλα, Μανώλια)
- Florentia (Φλωρέντα, Φλωρένα, Φλωρίνα, Φλωρίντα, Φλώρα)
- Fotios (Φώτης)
- Fotía (Φώτω,Φωτούλα)
- Foteini (Φώφη, Φαίη, Φίφη, Φωφώ)
- Georgia (Γεωργούλα, Γιωργούλα, Γιωργίτσα, Γιωργία, Γωγώ, Ζέτα, Τζίνα)
- Konstantinos (Κώστας, Κωστής, Κωστάκης, Κωτσάκος, Ντίνος)
- Konstantina (Ντίνα, Ναντίνα, Νάντια, Κωστούλα)
- Kyriakos (Κιριακούλης, Κυριακάκης, κούλης, Άκης)
- Kyriaki (Κική, Κυριακούλα, Κούλα, Ύρια)
- Katholiki (Κική)
- Louiza (Λίζα)
- Lycurgus (Λή)
- Margarita (Ρίτα)
- Maria (Μαρούλα, Μάρω, Μαράκι, Μαριώ, Μάρα, Μάϊρα, Μαρίκα, Μαίρη)
- Markellos (Μάρκος)
- Myrtali (Μύρτα)
- Nikoleta (Κολέτα, Νίκη)
- Pagona (Πέγκυ, Πένυ)
- Panagiotis (Πάνος, Πανάγιος, Παναγής, Γιώτης, Τάκης, Νότης, Πότης)
- Panagiota (Γιώτα, Πέννυ, Πέγκυ, Νάγια, Πανάγιω Νότα)
- Panagioula (Πανάγιω, Γιούλα)
- Panagoula (Πανάγω, Γούλα)
- Paraskevi / Paraskeve (Παρασκευούλα, Εύη, Βιβή, Εβίτα, Βούλα)
- Phaedon (Φαίδωνας, Φαιδωνάκος)
- Polyxenia (Ξένια)
- Polyxeni (Ξένη)
- Rafailia (Ραφαέλα)
- Sevasti (Σέβη)
- Sevastiani (Σέβη)
- Styliani (Στέλλα)
- Styliana (Στέλλα)
- Theofanis (Φάνης, Θείος)
- Vasileios (Βασίλης, Βασιλάκης, Σίλειος.)
- Vasileia (Σίλεια, Βάσια, Βάσεια)
- Vasiliki (Βασιλικώ, Βασιλικούλα, Βίκη, Βίκυ.)
- Vasileió (Βασίλω)
- Vaso (Βασούλα)
- Victória / Victoría (Βίκο)
Male / Female name
- Archangelos / Archangelia
- Angelos / Angéla
- Angelikos / Angeliki
- Andreas / Andrea
- Andreanos / Andreana
- Andrianos / Andriana
- Alexandros / Alexandra
- Alexios / Alexia
- Alexis / Alexa
- Vasilios / Vasileia
- Vasilikos / Vasiliki
- Vasileiós / Vasileió
- Vasos / Vaso
- Venetios / Venetia
- Marios / Maria
- Mariánnos / Marianna
- Marianós / Marianí
- Ilías / Ília
- Iliános / Iliána
- Ilianós / Ilianí
- Liános / Liána
- Fotinos / Fotini
- Fotios / Fotía
- Polyxenios / Polyxenia
- Polyxenos / Polyxeni
- Panagios / Panagioula
- Panagos / Panagoula
- Christianos / Christiana
- Christos / Christina
Similar names
Translation name
Category of names
Angel names: Archangelos, Archangelia, Angelikos, Angeliki, Αngelos, Angéla, Εvangelos, Evangelia, Raphael, Raphaelia, Michael, Michaela, Gabriel, Gabriela.
Wealthy names: Victoria, Eleonora, Vasiliki, Elisavet, Archangelos, Stefanos, Vasileios, Phaedonas.
Royal names: Victoria, Elisavet, Vasiliki, Eleonora, Kleopatra, Alexandros, Filippos, Κonstantinos, Pavlos, Georgios Vasileios, Nikolaos.
Elegant names: Eleonora, Vasiliki, Kleopatra, Aliki.
Female names: Marianthi, Martha, Marina.
Unattractive names: Georgia, Barbara, Sofia, Dimitra, Sotiria, Stathis, Giannis, Themis.
Common prefixes
- Archi-: meaning "superior" or "boss".
- Chondro-: meaning "fat".
- Gero-: meaning "old" or "wise".
- Hadji-: the Arabic honorific for one who has made the Hadj or pilgrimage, used in the case of Christians for a voyage to Jerusalem, for example "Hatzipanagis".
- Kara-: from the Turkish word for "black",[12] for example "Karatasos". In Ottoman Turkish, "kara" also meant "brave", though this sense of the word has disappeared in the modern language.
- Konto-: meaning "short".
- Makro-: meaning "tall" or "long".
- Mastro-: meaning "artisan" or "workman".
- Palaio-: meaning "old" or "wise".
- Papa-: indicating descent from a papas, a priest. So Papakostas is the "son of Kostas, the priest".
Common suffixes
- -akis (-άκης): associated primarily with Crete (except Anogeia) and the Aegean Islands, it is a diminutive, such as Giorgos becoming Giorgakis for the young Giorgos. Examples are: "Mitsotakis", "Theodorakis" and "Doukakis".This suffix was also very common for Cretan Turks up until they were officially changed with the Surname Law. This suffix was introduced in the 19th century.[13]
- -akos (-ᾶκος): mainly from Laconia, particularly among Maniots from the Laconian part of the Mani peninsula.' Examples are: "Xarhakos" and "Kyrgiakos".
- -oulis (-ούλης): mainly from Thessalia, it is a diminutive, which is also used as a diminutive for place names in the region such as Giannouli and Damasouli .' Examples are: "Georgoulis" and "Giannoulis".
- -as (-ας): from Macedonia and the Epirus. Examples are: "Melas", "Dimas", "Zorbas", "Lekkas", "Moustakas" and "Zappas". However, the surname Dukas or Doukas derives from the Latin title dux or duke.
- -atos (-ᾶτος): (from Cephalonia), of Venetian derivation.[14][15] Examples are: "Georgatos", "Cosmatos" and "Manatos".
- -eas (-εας): mainly among Maniots from the Messenian part of the Mani peninsula. Examples are: "Koteas", "Georgeas" and "Charisteas".
- -elis (-έλης) and -ilis (-ιλής): from the Turkish suffixes for agent, possession and origin, common in western Asia Minor, Mytiline, Lemnos and Imbros. Examples are: Myrsilis, Katselis, Papadelis, Manelis.
- -allis (-άλλης) and -ellis (-έλλης): both found especially in the Dodecanese, mainly Rhodes. Examples are "Georgallis" and "Kanellis".
- -idis or -ides and -iadis or iades (-ίδης/-ιάδης): meaning 'son of' or 'descendant of'. The suffix -idis (often transliterated -ides in English and French) is the oldest in use. Zeus, for example, was also referred to as Cronides ("son of Cronus"). -idis was the most common suffix in Byzantium, Bithynia and Byzantine Thrace, being also used by Pontic Greeks and Caucasus Greeks in the Pontic Alps, northeast Anatolia, Georgia, the former Kars Oblast, and sometimes in Epirus, Corfu and some Aegean islands. Examples include: "Stavridis", "Koutoufides", "Angelidis", "Georgiadis".
- -lis (-λής). Turkish suffix for "of" a place, like the Greek suffixes -tis and -otis. Examples are: "Karamanlis" and "Kasdaglis".
- -opoulos (-όπουλος): meaning "descendant of", originated from the Peloponnese but has become very widespread. Examples are: "Stamatelopoulos", "Papadopoulos", "Gianopoulos", "Anagnostopoulos" and "Theodorakopoulos". It can also be coined using ethnonyms, such as Frangopoulos (Φραγκόπουλος) meaning "son of a Frank", or Voulgaropoulos (Βουλγαρόπουλος) meaning "son of a Bulgarian".
- -oglou (-όγλου): from the Turkish -oğlu meaning "son of", seen in families from Asia Minor. Examples are: "Tsolakoglou", "Ardizoglou" and "Patsatzoglou".
- -ou (-ου): a genitive mainly from Cyprus. Examples are: "Afxentiou", "Economou", "Konstantinou", "Christoforou "Georgiou" " and "Gregoriou".
- -tis, -otis (-της, -ώτης): meaning "of" a place. Examples are "Politis" from polis (city) and "Chiotis" from Chios.
- -tzis, -tsis (-τζής, -τσής): Turkish suffix to signify a profession, like the English -er in Baker or Butcher. Examples are: "Devetzi" and "Kouyioumtzis". Not related to -atzis/atzes (-άτζης) and -atsis/atses, (-άτσης), a tsitacised version of -άκης associated with Thrace. Example: Vatatzes or Vatatses (instead of Vatakes).[16]
[9] -ois (-όης,-ώης): Mostly found in Aetolia-Acarnania. Examples are: "Kois", "Lois" and "Zois"
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