Why Greek names?

Simply, because Greek names are embedded with meaning. Take Lysistrate (Λυσιστράτη), the heroine of Aristophanes (Ἀριστοφάνης) who 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: it 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 relevant, common English spelling (for example, Heracles becomes Hercules). An interpretation of every name is first proposed, followed by the underlying etymology.

All proposed interpretations 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. It 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!

This site will hopefully grow into a comprehensive, accurate, and authoritative reference on the meaning and etymology behind Greek names - without taking itself too seriously.

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. The Greek Orthodox Church recently finally condoned the baptism of children with non-religious names. As a result, names such as Telemachos and Nephele -- incidentally, the names of my children -- are increasingly heard in Greek schoolyards.

Hellenized names of non-Greek origin

Etymologica delves mainly in names bearing Greek etymology. For the sake of completeness, however, we are also preparing a section with important Hellenized names, including highly popular ones such as  Κωνσταντῖνος (Constantine) as well as some wonderful oddities such as  Βύρων (Byron).

For more info on such names, check out 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 more than one generation of Greeks can no longer write in 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.

Upgrade status (as of September 2011)

3,149 Greek names and growing!

Under construction:  Section on Hellenized names.

Etymologica.com is still in its (prolonged) infancy stage.  Although a first draft is more or less complete,  it will forever remain open to additions and sisyphian fine-tuning. Feel free to send in any comments or suggestions.

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 am drawing 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!
• 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

Etymologica is dedicated with love to my daughter Νεφέλη.

Copyright: Paul C. Panayotacos