Greece is located in the southern part of the Balkan Peninsula, on the islands of the Aegean, Ionian and Mediterranean Seas. About 95 percent of the population of this beautiful country consists of Greeks. Of course, representatives of this nation live in other countries, but, as a rule, they settle in small and compact groups. All of them are united by an individual name and patronymic and Greek surnames, which are the collective heritage of each family.
The descendants of the Hellenes were widely known for their high political activity and rich cultural heritage. According to many people, Greek surnames are the most beautiful in the world. They were formed according to their characteristic rules. Very often, the name of the grandfather or father became the basis of a generic nickname. Along with the surname, the inhabitants of Hellas actively used the middle name. Therefore, now the full Greek name consists of the first name, middle name and last name.
How did Greek surnames appear
In some cases, the names of the Greeks were formed taking into account the profession of a person. Greece has long been famous for its craftsmen in various fields. And so those people whose skill in the chosen profession was outstanding, wore nicknames indicating the nature of their activity.
Sometimes the surname indicated the area in which its carrier was born. But it is possible to determine the geographical affiliation of a person by other signs. In different regions of the country, Greek surnames have different endings. For example, the generic names of the inhabitants of Crete and people from this area end in -akis or -idis. In other regions of Greece, endings such as -atos, -poulos, -udis and so on are more often used.
Women's last names
In most cases, Greek surnames for women coincide with masculine in the genitive case. It is also customary in Greece to stress differently depending on who owns the surname: a woman or a man.
When married, Greek women can choose the name of their spouse or leave the family name of the father. But this opportunity is for representatives of the fair sex, who grew up in urban areas. For the villagers, the situation is somewhat different. Here, her social submission to man is more pronounced. In the village, the woman's last name consists of her first name, the name of her husband and his hereditary name.
Basically, Greek citizens have surnames similar to the male version, but with other endings: -u, -a or -i. For example, if a man has the last name Zarobalas, then in the female version it will sound like Zorbala, Ioannidis - Ioannidi and so on.
