Women’s names borrowed from Greek have long been familiar to Russian ears. Many of them, such as Catherine, Irina, Ksenia, Lydia or Anastasia, are no longer perceived as alien, while others - Thekla, Evdokia, Agafya or Barbara - are considered by many as common people
Ancient greek names
The tradition of Greek naming dates back several thousand years. The ancient poet Homer, known from school for his epic poems "The Iliad" and "Odyssey", cites names in his works dating back to the era of Crito-Minoan civilization (XVI-XI centuries BC). Already, listeners of the legends of the Trojan War could not quite determine the meaning of the name Hekub and be embarrassed to hear the real name of Hippodamia, which was literally translated as "tamed horse", which was inherited by lot of Achilles Briseids.
Sources of the Modern Greek Namespoken
The names of the gods and goddesses of the Olympic pantheon - Aphrodite, Athena, Nika - are still common in Greece. Also used are purely Greek female names known from history - Electra or Elena. A significant source of replenishment of the Greek name-list was Christian mythology. It was from there that such beautiful Greek names came as Anastasia, Evdokia, Catherine, Elizabeth and Thekla. Under the current conditions of globalization, the Greek language is actively borrowing names from other cultures.
The tradition of choosing a name in Greece
In Greece, there is a special tradition of naming, which determined the preservation of ancient names. The first daughter is named after her paternal grandmother, the second is named after her maternal grandmother, and the third is named after her maternal aunt. Of course, deviations from these rules are not uncommon, but they are mainly adhered to, especially in the outback.
Features of pronunciation and spelling of Greek names
The following form of writing modern Greek female names is accepted in the article: in the text they are given in accordance with the modern pronunciation, and their Russian correspondence, if any, is given in brackets. At the same time, the language situation in the country should be taken into account: until the 20th century, the official dialect of Hellas was considered to be Kafarevus - a language with a modern origin artificially created on the basis of ancient Greek norms. Kafarevus was opposed by dimotics, literally - "folk language", developed according to linguistic laws. The latter ultimately prevailed, but many Kafarevus words are still used in the spoken language. This is manifested in the existence of paired variants of names like Georgios and Yorgos (a diminutive version of Jorgis is also possible).
Most Popular Greek Female Names
Oddly enough, but the first place is occupied by the name of Aramaic origin - Mary. True, one has only to think, and this strangeness disappears. Greece is an Orthodox country with a very high number of believers. The names of characters from the scriptures are especially popular in this country, and they are trembling.
However, the Greek spirit is eclectic. Christianity, although it declared a merciless struggle against paganism at the dawn of its existence, was not able to completely erase pagan hedonism from the Greeks. Apparently, therefore, the second most popular Greek female name belongs to one of the most famous libertines of ancient Hellas - Eleani (Elena). It is translated into Russian as a “torch, ” and this is not surprising: the ancient beauty managed to rekindle the ten-year Trojan War.
The third beautiful Greek female name on the list is Ikaterini. His exact origin is unknown, and in the collections of ancient Greek myths such a character could not be found. It is assumed that this name, like the name of the medieval heresy, came from the word "kasaros" - pure.
In fourth place modestly is one of the most proud Greek female names - Basiliki (Vasilisa). Like its male counterpart - Basilis (Basil) - it originally meant the royal title. When the era of the queens and empresses irrevocably passed, their title became a fairly common beautiful female name.
Fifth place is taken from the male name George. Unlike the previous one, it came from a kind of occupation that the Greeks thought down on: "georgos" is translated into Russian as "farmer." It is unlikely that this name would have enjoyed such popularity in Greece had it not happened in the history of Christianity, St. George the Victorious.
Rare names
In villages located in hard-to-reach regions, rare female Greek names are preserved thanks to the traditions of naming. Sometimes they are entered into documents taking into account their ancient origin, which makes them even more unusual (the language of Homer is even more incomprehensible to the modern Greek than the "Tale of Bygone Years" for us). But even without conveying features of articulation, some names will still be perceived strangely.
These oddities do not occur because the name is translated into Russian by some not too harmonious word. For example, Alifini, Garufalia, Ilicinia, Falasia, Theoplasty not only sound, but also translate beautifully: True, Carnation, Sincere, Sea, Created by God. The list of traditional names is constantly changing, and a Greek woman with that name is perceived in Greece in the same way as we have a girl named Predslava or Dobronega.
In the rare list you can find such beautiful female Greek names:
- Akrivi is strict.
- Anti or Antus - a flower.
- Kiveli - in ancient times was popular in areas of intense contact with Phoenician navigators (it is a Hellenized version of the name of the goddess Cybele).
- Corina is the modernized ancient name Corinna, meaning "girl."
- Kstanti is golden.
- Meropi - gifted with the art of speaking.
- Politimi - revered by all (or many).
- Harikliya - glorious joy.
Borrowed Names
Having been ruled by the Roman Empire, the Greeks began to adopt the Roman tradition of naming. So the names of Sevastiani (the female version of the male name Sebastian - “originally from Sebastia”), Sylvia (from Latin translates as “forest”), Carolina (“Karl’s woman” or “belonging to Karl”), Nataliya (possibly descended from the cognomen Natalius, and from the Roman name for the Christmas holiday - Natalis Domini).
In the Middle Ages, the Greeks took a significant number of names of German origin. Particularly curious here is the history of the name Rose. Initially, it was a female version of the name Hrodheit ("glorious property, wealthy"). But later its origin was forgotten and rethought with an orientation to the Latin name of the flower - rosa.
