Most of the male and female names that exist in the world have Greek roots. Some of them have become so popular in their countries that they are already considered national. Therefore, choosing a Greek name for a boy will be quite simple.
Origin and meaning of names
Newborn Greeks are called in accordance with tradition. The eldest son in the family almost always bears the name of his paternal grandfather. The next boy born to a married couple is called exactly the same as the mother’s parent. Giving the name of the father to the son is an unkind omen. True Greek tradition is a holy duty. But despite this, many young couples depart from them and call the children at their discretion.
All Greek names for boys, as well as for girls, are divided into two groups. The first category includes the names of the ancient period associated with mythology. They sound as follows: Odysseas, Sophocles, Socrates and others. The second group includes the names included in the Orthodox calendar: Vasilios, Georgios.
Each Greek name has its own characteristic. It reflects one or another feature of a person’s personality, and, as a rule, on the positive side. For example, the ancient Greek masculine name Leonidas (Leonid) means “like a lion, ” and Prokopios (Procopius) translates as “leading.” In Greece, it is believed that choosing a name for a child, parents determine their fate.
The most common male names
The Greek names of the Orthodox calendar are of national origin, as well as Hebrew and Latin. However, children in this country are most often called according to family tradition, as well as grandfather of father, mother, etc.
To date, the most popular Greek names for boys are the following ten:
- Georgios. Translated from ancient Greek means "farmer". In the church and historical context - also George.
- Dimitrios. It comes from the ancient Greek name Demetrios - "dedicated to Demeter" (the goddess of fertility). Pronounced as Dimitri.
- Konstantinos. Name of Latin origin, translated permanent. In a historical context it is read as Constantius.
- Ioannis. It comes from the Hebrew language. Translated from Hebrew means "the mercy of the Lord."
- Nikolaos, or Nicholas - translated from ancient Greek "winner of the peoples." Occurs on behalf of the goddess of victory, Nicky.
- Christ is the "anointed one."
- Panagiotis - from Greek is translated as "all holy."
- Vasilios. The name has national ancient Greek roots and means "king".
- Athanasios (Athanasius in the church context), from ancient Greek - "immortal".
- Evangelos. It comes from the ancient Greek name Evangelion and means "good news, the Gospel."
The fashion for names in Greece also exists as in any countries, but the ones presented above remain popular at different times.
In the XX century, Western European names Eduardos, Roberto and others became popular in this country. Modern Greek parents are increasingly departing from family traditions and call their children just that.
The rarest Greek boy names
Every year there are less and less common names of ancient origin associated with the existence of gods and mythology. Although, according to some parents, it is they who can endow their child with charisma and strong will.
The rarest and most beautiful Greek names for boys:
- Aristoteles - translates as "excellence aimed at a specific goal."
- Archimedes. The name has ancient Greek roots and means "possessing thoughts."
- Democritos - translates as "having the right to judge others."
- Zeno This ancient Greek name comes from Zeus himself and means belonging to this supreme deity.
- Space - "personifying beauty."
- Macedon is "tall."
- Pleton - translates as "wealth."
- Eros - symbolizes love.
These are not all Greek names for boys that parents use infrequently when calling their babies. But the above are still less common than others.
Modern male names of Greek origin
Greek names have taken root in almost all European languages. They may have their own pronunciation, but from this their roots remain the same. In Russian, Greek names for boys are also very common. Alexander, Alexei, Sergey - these are names that have long been considered native, Slavic. But in reality they have completely different roots.
The list of Greek names is very long. So much so that every second person on the planet bears this name.
