The Naming Customs of Greece, From Ancient Times to Today

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The Naming Customs of Greece, From Ancient Times to Today

A 5th-century BC ostracon showing Ancient Greek naming customs, where a man has been identified by his first name Aristides, followed by his father’s name, Lysimachos. Credit: Giovanni Dall’Orto /Wikimedia Commons/Attribution – Free to use

Contemporary Greek naming customs are deeply rooted in a rich history that extends back to ancient Greece. While new conventions have emerged over time, the core principles and traditions of naming have remained remarkably consistent, bridging the practices of today with those of millennia past.

Ancient Greek naming customs

In ancient times, people were generally only given one name. However, in formal situations where more specificity was necessary, the father’s first name would be added as a descriptor to serve the same function as a surname would today.

When an individual traveled or settled outside of where they were born, sometimes their place of birth would be used to identify them, as well; an example of this would be “Aristotle of Stagira.”

However, women would often simply be referred to as “Wife of …” or “Daughter of …,” as it was considered more polite. When their first names were used, which was usually in formal contexts such as on gravestones, they would be identified using their first name and then their relationship to a man.

Even to this day, Greek parents will often name a child after his or her grandparent, a practice that dates back to antiquity. Another way in which contemporary Greek naming customs are similar to those from thousands of years ago is seen through female names, which often are simply male names with a female suffix added to them.

In ancient Greece, many popular names were bestowed based on characteristics, both physical and moral, that the child was thought to have, or that the parents at least hoped their children would possess. Common names were “Nikomachos,” meaning battle winner, or “Xanthos,” meaning blonde.

Ancient Greek naming customs were also used to honor the pantheon of Greek gods and goddesses with many children being named in their favor. However, there was a notable difference from the way Greek ******* are named today after deities, as in ancient times the names of gods would be changed slightly before being bequeathed upon children.

For example, Ancient Greeks would name their children “Dionysios” after the **** “Dionysos,” modifying the name into adjectival form. They also used holy names with suffixes to modify them, for example, “Dionysodoros,” meaning “gift of Dionysos.”

Names over the centuries

As Christianity spread across Greece during the Roman *******, children began to be named after saints. From the first century AD to the nineteenth century AD, naming continued following this rule of thumb for the most part.

Across Greece, the habit of naming children after saints led to the establishment of name days wherein those who have names associated with saints celebrate the feast day (usually the day the saint *****) similar to the way birthdays are celebrated elsewhere.

Family names also began to gain popularity in the Byzantine *******, and many of them were reminiscent of the patronymics of old with surnames often being comprised of a prefix or suffix added to the first name of a man in the family.

The now common phenomenon of giving children ancient names actually developed very recently in Greece.

With the establishment of the modern Greek nation in the 1800s, citizens began harking back to their long and proud history, subsequently giving their ******* names from the ancient world. Therefore, names based on mortals or gods from ancient Greece, such as “Phaedra,” “Persephone,” and “Electra” are actually a relatively recent development.

In official documents in modern Greece, people are always given three names: a given name, a patronymic, and a family name.

Clearly, Greek naming customs have developed along different lines since ancient times, but there is also a lot of evidence showing that many traditions from thousands of years ago continue to this day.

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