Greek name

Greek given names can be derived from the Greco-Roman gods, along with Ancient Greek traditions, or from the Old and New Testament and early Christian traditions. Some of the names are often, but not always, anglicised. Male names usually end in -ης and -ος, along with -α and -ων. If a name ends in -ίας, -ήλ and sometimes -ης/ής, it is a Hebrew name which has been translated into Greek. Female names always end in -α and -η.

Ancient Names

*Agamemnon (Αγαμέμνων)
*Alcibiades (Αλκιβιάδης)
*Alexander (Αλέξανδρος)
*Anaximandros (Αναξίμανδρος)
*Antigone (Αντιγόνη)
*Athena (Αθηνά)
*Cleopatra (Κλεοπάτρα)
*Danae (Δανάη)
*Demeter (Δημήτηρ)
*Eurydice (Ευρυδίκη)
*Hercules (Ηρακλής)
*Iphigenia (Ιφιγένεια)
*Jason (Ιάσων)
*Kalliroe (Καλλιρόη)
*Leonidas (Λεωνίδας)
*Melpomene (Μελπομένη)
*Menelaus (Μενελάος)
*Odysseus (Οδυσσεύς)
*Pandora (Πανδώρα)
*Penelope (Πηνελόπη)
*Pericles (Περικλής)
*Plato (Πλάτων)
*Phoebe (Φοίβη)
*Socrates (Σωκράτης)
*Zeno (Ζήνων)

Old and New Testament Names

*Andrew (Ανδρέας)
*Anna (Άννα)
*Daniel (Δανιήλ)
*Elijah (Ηλίας)
*Gabriel (Γαβριήλ)
*Isaiah (Ησαΐας)
*Jacob (Ιακώβ)
*Jeremiah (Ιερεμίας)
*Joachim (Ιωακείμ)
*John (Ιωάννης)
*Joseph (Ιωσήφ)
*Maria, Mary (Μαρία)
*Martha (Μάρθα)
*Matthew (Ματθαίος)
*Michael (Μιχαήλ)
*Moses (Μωϋσής)
*Paul (Παύλος)
*Peter (Πέτρος)
*Philip (Φίλιππος)
*Simeon (Συμεών)
*Solomon (Σολομών)
*Stephen (Στέφανος)
*Zacharias (Ζαχαρίας)

Early Christian Names

*Anastasios (Αναστάσιος)
*Anthony (Αντώνιος)
*Athanasios (Αθανάσιος)
*Anthimos (Άνθιμος)
*Barbara (Βαρβάρα)
*Basil (Βασίλειος)
*Chris (Χρήστος)
*Christina (Χριστίνα)
*Constantine (Κωνσταντίνος)
*Cyril (Κύριλλος)
*Damian (Δαμιανός)
*Dimitri (Δημήτριος)
*Despina (Δέσποινα)
*Eugenia (Ευγενία)
*George (Γεώργιος)
*Gregory (Γρηγόριος)
*Helene (Ελένη)
*Irene (Ειρήνη)
*Kalliope (Καλλιόπη)
*Margaret (Μαργαρίτα)
*Miltiades (Μιλτιάδης)
*Nicholas (Νικόλαος)
*Panagiotis (Παναγιώτης)
*Procopios (Προκόπιος)
*Savvas (Σάββας)
*Sophia (Σοφία)
*Spyridon (Σπυρίδων)
*Stavros (Σταύρος)
*Stylianos (Στυλιανός)
*Theodore (Θεόδωρος)
*Theophilos (Θεόφιλος)
*Timothy (Τιμόθεος)
*Zoe (Ζωή)

Traditions

It is a Greek tradition for parents to name their newborn children after their own parents. This shows a continuation of the names in the family line. Yet, new names are also introduced into the family, with the Greek language having a very large list of both male and female names.

Greek surnames

Greek surnames are most commonly patronymics. Occupation, characteristic and location/origin-based surnames names also occur. Here are some examples of common Greek suffixes:

* -opoulos: this suffix, meaning "descendant of", originated from the Peloponnese in the 10th century, but has become very widespread throughout the Greece. Examples include: Angelopoulos, Fotopoulos, Papadopoulos, Sotiropoulos.

* -idis and -iadis: both very ancient last names and clan forms used in the Pontus and Asia Minor regions.Examples include: Athanasiadis, Dimitriadis, Ioannidis, Stefanidis.

* -akis: associated primarily with Crete and the Aegean Islands. Examples include: Mitsotakis, Theodorakis.

* -ou: mainly from Cyprus.Examples include: Evangelou, Loizou, Pavlou.

* -oglou: a Turkish root (-oğlu, "son of") ending seen in immigrants from Asia Minor.Examples include: Mihaloglou, Sarafoglou.

* -as: from Macedonia and Epirus.Examples include: Folias, Minas, Sioufas.

Other suffixes include: -is, -os and -akos.

Some examples of Greek prefixes are:

* Chondro-: meaning "fat".Examples include: Chondroyiannis.

* Papa-: indicating ancestry from a priest.Examples include: Pappas, Papadimitriou.

* Gero-: meaning "old".

* Hatz(i)-: borrowed from the Muslim hajj, customarily added to the surnames of those who went for a pilgrimage to Jerusalem and have been baptized in the Jordan River.

* Kondo-: meaning "short".

* Makro- or Makry-: meaning "long", but referring to great height.

* Kara-: a Turkish root meaning "black".

Other prefixes include: Archi-, Mastro-.

ee also

*List of Greek place names
*Names of the Greeks