Ἐτυμολογικά...


The goal of etymologica.com

Etymologica.com is a labor of love. Our aspiration is that it grows to be a comprehensive, accurate, and authoritative reference on the meaning and etymology behind Greek names. 
 

Upgrade status (as of August 2010)

Fairly complete: Alpha (A), Beta (B), Gamma (Γ), Zeta (Z), Eta (H), Theta (Θ), Iota (I), Lamda (Λ), Mi (M), Tau (T), Phi (Φ), Xi (Ξ), Psi (Ψ), Omega (Ω).
Under construction:  The rest.
Added guest book. Any comments and suggestions are most welcome and will be credited!

Etymologica.com is still in its (prolonged) infancy stage.  The first draft will take a while to complete and, by its nature, such a project can never be considered finalized: it will forever remain open for additions and fine-tuning. 

Why Greek names?

Greek or Hellenic (terms to be used interchangeably) names have a very intriguing nature: most of them are literally embedded with meaning. Take Lysistrate (Λυσιστράτη), a heroine of Aristophanes (Ἀριστοφάνης) . Her story is well known: Lysistrate convinced her peers to deny all sexual liaisons with their husbands so long as they continued fighting a bloody civil war.  Lysistrate is probably the most post-modern of ancient heroines.

Now consider her name: Lysistrate  is derived from the verb λύω meaning "to disband" and στρατός meaning "army". Her very name summarizes the plot of Aristophanes'' play!

Our approach

Greek names are listed in three ways: Hellenic polytonic script, English transliteration and, whenever necessary, common English spelling (for example, Heracles becomes Hercules). An interpretation of every name is first proposed, followed by the underlying etymology.

All interpretations provided are, to quote the French, littéraire rather than littéral. Consider the name Ἂλκιππος, Alkippos. Its etymology is fairly unambiguous: it is derived from alke (strength) and hippos (horse). Any interpretation, however, would be subjective. The name could mean "strong as a horse."  Or perhaps, "stout equestrian." Or maybe, "brave cavalry fighter." 

So please do not take any interpretation provided literally, but consider the name's etymology, and put your creativity and imagination to work!

Greek Names: Surviving a paradigm shift

A significant cultural shift took place when the Roman Emperor Theodosius (Θεοδόσιος) adopted Christianity as the official religion of the Greco-Roman world. The shutting down of the library of Alexandria in 391 C.E. and the outlawing of the Olympic Games three years later sealed the end of an era.

The effect on name-giving was profound: Archbishop of Constantinople John Chrysostom incited parents to baptize their children after saints and martyrs rather than after their pagan ancestors.  Due to the legacy of Theodosius and  Chrysostom most contemporary Greeks are called John and Maria, as opposed to Praxiteles and Aphrodite.  Moreover, a number on new names emerged, mostly reflecting the  prevailing religion. Examples include Christodoulos, meaning slave (doulos) of Christ, and the decidedly more upbeat Anastasios, meaning he who rises from the dead (from ana, up, and stasis, to stand).

Although some traditional Greek names (including the likes of Alexander and Helen) survived due to namesake saints, the vast majority were rendered all but extinct. Thankfully many older names survived outside the confines of Greece. Under popular pressure, the Greek Orthodox Church very recently condoned the adoption formerly supressed Greek names. As a result, names such as Telemachos and Nephele -- incidentally, the names of my children -- will once once more be increasingly heard in Greek schoolyards over the coming years.

So where are Γιάννης (Yiannis) and Μαρία (Maria)?

Shout "Yianni" or "Maria" at any crowded street corner in Greece and scores of heads will turn. They are among the most popular names in contemporary Greece, so why are they not listed in this project? We have decided to focus  exclusively on names bearing Greek etymology. This means that some wonderful Hellenized names such as Βύρων (Byron), Μιχαὴλ (Michael) and even my own name, Παῦλος (Paul) will not be the subject of our scrutiny. For a comprehensive listing of such names, please check Behind the Name.

A note on polytonic script

The polytonic script,  complete with accents and breathing marks, carries rich layers of linguistic and etymological information that are completely lost in the simplified monotonic script. As this site delves in etymology, it will obviously render all Greek names in their polytonic form.

Greek was universally written in polytonic until the Greek government abolished it in a post-midnight parliamentary session in 1982 attended by only a handful of drowsy, bedandruffed, turtleneck-clad MPs. This act sadly uprooted  many centuries of linguistic heritage, and an entire generation of Greeks can no longer write a simple sentence using the language of Odysseas Elytis (1979 Nobel Prize in Literature).

If you have a polytonic-compatible Unicode font (e.g., Palatino Linotype) loaded on your computer, you should have no problem enjoying polytonic Greek on your screens. I also strongly suggest you download (and support) the Keyman Greek add-on keyboard that makes  polytonic intuitive and idiot-proof.

Sources and inspirations

• The best and most authoritative on-line source for the etymology of names is Behind the Name.  I cannot help but draw inspiration from Mike C's magnum opus! The site's name fact forum is the place to ask any name-related etymological question. A wonderful community of volunteers world-wide will almost instantly help you out even with the most obscure of names!
• The most complete compilation of Greek names is The Lexicon of Greek Names, an Oxford University project. I will draw heavily from this incredible site.
• Greek-English Lexicon, Lidell & Scott, 9th Edition (ISBN: 0-19-864226-1). An online version of this venerable lexicon on is available at Perseus.   An etymologist's dream comes true!
• Λεξικὸ τῆς Ἀρχαίας Ελληνικῆς Γλώσσας, Magenta. A great electronic tool available at Magenta's site.
  
• Τό  Ὀνομά Σου ("Your Name"), a booklet published by an unknown schoolteacher, Konstantinos Mantzouranis, in 1951. I was lucky to unearth this gem at a flea market in Athens. It is the only book I have found that deals exclusively with the meaning and origin of Greek names.
• Λεξικὸ Κυρίων Ὀνομάτων, Ἀνέστης Κωνσταντινίδης. This excellent compendium of Greek names was first published in 1900, and thankfully republished in 1999 (ISBN: 960-7437-37-3), and Θησαυρὸς Ἑλληνικῶν Όνομάτων, Ἂρης Διαμάντης (ISBN: 96-7931-65-3). Both books contain rich and detailed biographical information on Greek names.
• The Great Big Book of Baby Names, (PIL, 2006) by Professor Cleveland Kent Evans. The idea of  color-coding names by gender was inspired from this highly enjoyable book.
• People who have given me practical advice and suggested corrections: My beautiful wife Kyriake, Mike C., Kyriakos T., তন্ময় ভট, and many other to be credited

Copyright: Paul C. Panayotacos