Greek Names and Their Meanings, with Name Days

The most common Greek first names come from Christian saints and from ancient Greek words: Γιώργος (George, "farmer"), Δημήτρης (from the goddess Demeter), Νίκος ("victory of the people"), Μαρία, Ελένη and Σοφία ("wisdom") are among the most widespread. Most Greeks have an official form of their name on their documents and a shorter everyday form, and nearly every name is linked to a saint and a name day. In the transliteration below the accent marks the stressed syllable, ch sounds like the German ach, d like the th in "this" and th like the th in "think".

Greek names for boys

Greek names for girls

Traditionally, the first son is named after his paternal grandfather and the first daughter after her paternal grandmother; the next children often take the names of the maternal grandparents. This is why the same few names come back in every generation, and why cousins often share a name. Many families still follow the custom, though more and more parents choose freely.

Ancient and mythological names used today

Names from Greek history and mythology are popular again, especially for girls. You will meet:

• Girls: Αθηνά (Athiná, the goddess Athena), Πηνελόπη (Pinelópi, the faithful wife of Odysseus), Καλλιόπη (Kalliópi, the muse of epic poetry, "beautiful voice"), Ουρανία (Uranía, the muse of astronomy, "heavenly"), Αριάδνη (Ariádni), Ηλέκτρα (Iléktra), Αφροδίτη (Afrodíti), Δανάη (Danái).
• Boys: Αλέξανδρος (Aléxandros, "defender of men"), Οδυσσέας (Odisséas), Αχιλλέας (Achilléas), Ηρακλής (Iraklís, Heracles), Περικλής (Periklís), Σωκράτης (Sokrátis), Αριστοτέλης (Aristotélis), Λεωνίδας (Leonídas), Ορέστης (Oréstis), Ιάσονας (Iásonas).

Notice the modern endings: Achilles is Αχιλλέας, Jason is Ιάσονας. The stories behind many of these names are told in our Greek mythology stories.

How Greek names change form

Greek names change their ending depending on their role in the sentence, and Greek uses the article before names: ο Γιώργος, η Μαρία.

When you speak to someone directly (the vocative), names in -ος usually drop the -ς: Γιώργο, Νίκο, Πέτρο. Some longer names take -ε instead: Αλέξανδρε, Θεόδωρε. Names in -ης and -ας drop the -ς: Γιάννη, Δημήτρη, Κώστα. Most women's names do not change when you call someone: Μαρία, Ελένη. The proper names grammar note has all the patterns.

Diminutives and nicknames

Greeks love affectionate forms, made with endings such as -άκης, -άκι, -ίτσα and -ούλα:

• Γιώργος → Γιωργάκης (Yiorgákis); Γιάννης → Γιαννάκης; Κώστας → Κωστάκης.
• Μαρία → Μαράκι (Maráki), Μαρίτσα (Marítsa); Ελένη → Ελενίτσα; Κατερίνα → Κατερινούλα.
• Some short forms look quite different: Δημήτρης → Μήτσος (Mítsos), Παναγιώτης → Πάνος or Τάκης, Κωνσταντίνος → Ντίνος.

Surnames change too. A woman's surname is usually in the genitive: Mr Παπαδόπουλος, but Mrs Παπαδοπούλου. Some surname endings hint at a region: -άκης is typical of Crete, -όπουλος of the Peloponnese, -άτος of the Ionian Islands.

Name days: the Greek "second birthday"

Most Greek first names belong to a saint, and the saint's feast day is the ονομαστική γιορτή (onomastikí yiortí), the name day. Everyone with that name celebrates on the same day, so on 6 December every Νίκος and Νικολέτα in the country receives calls and messages. People say Χρόνια πολλά! and Να χαίρεσαι το όνομά σου! (na chérese to ónomá su, "enjoy your name"). Traditionally the house is open to visitors without invitation, who bring sweets or flowers; at work, the person celebrating offers cakes or sweets to colleagues. Some well-known name days:

People whose name has no saint, such as many ancient names, usually celebrate on All Saints' Day (των Αγίων Πάντων), the Sunday after Pentecost. More wishes for name days and birthdays are in Greek wishes for every occasion.

How to write your name in Greek

To write a foreign name in Greek, spell it as it sounds, not as it is written, and put an accent on the stressed syllable. A few sounds need two letters, because Greek has no single letter for them:

• b = ΜΠ: Ben → Μπεν; d = ΝΤ: Daniel → Ντάνιελ; hard g = ΓΚ: Greg → Γκρεγκ.
• j = ΤΖ: John → Τζον; ch as in "church" = ΤΣ: Charlie → Τσάρλι.
• sh is written Σ: Sharon → Σάρον; w often becomes ΟΥ: William → Ουίλιαμ.
• Simple names are easy: Anna → Άννα, Sarah → Σάρα, Emma → Έμμα, Lucas → Λούκας.

Many European names also have a traditional Greek equivalent: Peter is Πέτρος, John is Γιάννης, Helen is Ελένη, Catherine is Κατερίνα, Michael is Μιχάλης. Foreign names usually keep the same form in every role in the sentence: ξέρεις τον Μπεν; If you are not yet sure of the letters, start with the Greek alphabet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the most common Greek name?

Traditionally Γιώργος (Γεώργιος) for boys and Μαρία for girls, followed by names such as Δημήτρης, Κωνσταντίνος, Γιάννης, Ελένη and Αικατερίνη.

What is a name day?

The feast of the saint you are named after. In Greece it is often celebrated as much as a birthday, with wishes, visits and sweets.

Why do Greeks call Γιώργος "Γιώργο"?

Because of the vocative: when you speak directly to someone, many masculine names lose their final -ς. The same form is used after τον: τον Γιώργο.

Do Greeks have middle names?

Not usually, but official documents include the father's name (πατρώνυμο), and often the mother's name as well.

Ready to read Greek names on your own? Our free A1 Greek course starts with the alphabet and introducing yourself, with audio and instant correction. Then learn what to say on a name day in Greek wishes for every occasion.