The meaning of names from Greek. Mythical male and female names and their meanings

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Mythical names

Mythical male and female names and their meanings

Mythical names- these are names taken from Roman, Greek, Scandinavian, Slavic, Egyptian and other mythologies.

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Mythical names. Mythical male and female names and their meanings

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 for a boy will not be difficult at all.

Origin and meaning of names

Newborn Greeks are usually named in accordance with traditions. The eldest son in a family almost always bears the name of his paternal grandfather. The next boy born to a married couple is named exactly the same as the mother's parent. Giving a father's name to a son is an ill omen. Compliance with traditions among true Greeks is a sacred duty. But despite this, many young couples deviate from them and name their children as they wish.

All Greek, as for girls, are divided into two groups. The first category includes names from the ancient period associated with mythology. They sound like this: Odysseas, Sophocles, Socrates and others. The second group includes the names included in the Orthodox calendar: Vasilios, Georgios.

Each Greek name has its own characteristics. It reflects one or another personality trait of a person, and, as a rule, from the positive side. For example, the ancient Greek male name Leonidas (Leonidas) means “like a lion,” and Prokopios (Procopius) translates as “advanced.” In Greece, it is believed that by choosing a name for a child, parents determine his destiny.

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 named according to family tradition, just like grandfather, father, mother, etc.

By far the most popular Greek names for boys are the following ten:

1. Georgios. Translated from ancient Greek it means “farmer”. In the church and historical context - also George.
2. Dimitrios. Comes from the ancient Greek name Demetrios - “dedicated to Demeter.” Also pronounced as Demetrius.
3. Konstantinos. The name is of Latin origin and means “permanent”. In historical context it reads as Constantius.
4. Ioannis. Comes from the Hebrew language. Translated from Hebrew it means “the mercy of the Lord.”
5. Nikolaos, or Nikolai, translated from ancient Greek as “conqueror of nations.” Comes from the name of the goddess of victory Nike.
6. Christ is the “anointed one.”
7. Panagiotis - translated from Greek as “all holy”.
8. Vasilios. The name has national ancient Greek roots and means “king”.
9. Athanasios (Athanasius in a church context), from ancient Greek - “immortal”.
10. Evangelos. Comes from the ancient Greek name Evangelion and means “good news, gospel.”

Fashion for names in Greece exists as well as in any other country, but those presented above remain popular at different times.

In the 20th century, Western European names Eduardos, Robertos and others became popular in this country. Modern Greek parents are increasingly deviating from family traditions and naming their children that way.

The rarest Greek names for boys

Every year, names of ancient origin associated with the existence of gods and mythology are less and less common here. Although, according to some parents, they are the ones who can give their child charisma and strong will.

The rarest and most beautiful Greek names for boys:

• Aristotle - translated as "excellence aimed at a specific goal."
• Archimedes. The name has ancient Greek roots and means “owner of thoughts.”
• Demokritos - translated 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 - "high".
• Pleton - translated as “wealth”.
• Eros - symbolizes love.

These are not all Greek names for boys that parents rarely use when naming their babies. But those presented 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 their roots remain the same. In Russian, Greek names for boys are also very common. Alexander, Alexey, Sergey are names that have long been considered native, Slavic. But in reality they have completely different roots.

The list of Greek names is very large. So much so that every second person on the planet bears this name.

Top 5 Greek origins in Russia

The Russian name calendar contains a large number of names with Greek roots. Parents are happy to call their children them, without even thinking about their foreign origin, they fit so well into the Slavic flavor.

1. Artem.
2. Alexander.
3. Dmitriy.
4. Nikita.
5. Kirill.

In almost every family, a boy born within the last 10 years bears one of these names.

In ancient times, it was believed that a person’s name determined his character and destiny. After all, a name is also a word that has its own meaning. Each people had their own names, which carried a certain symbolic meaning. Later this symbolism was lost, but the names remained.

How are names translated? The science of onomastics answers this question. Let's turn to her. The main sources of currently popular Russian names are ancient Greek, Hebrew, Latin and Slavic languages.

Russian names of origin

We know from history that Christianity appeared in Rus' in the 10th century. Until this time, the names were Slavic. Their meanings are clear even now, for example, Lyudmila - “dear to people”, Bogdan - “Given by God”. Recently, the fashion for Slavic names has returned and parents are increasingly giving them to their children. Let's look at some of them as examples:

• Lada - goddess of love;
• Boris is a fighter;
• Vadim - sowing confusion;
• Faith - faith;
• Vladimir - owner of the world;
• Vyacheslav - more glorious;
• Love love;
• Milena - sweetheart;
• Hope - hope;
• Svetlana - light;
• Yaroslav - having bright glory

How names are translated from other languages

German-Scandinavian names were no less popular, because it was through the territory of Rus' that the famous route “from the Varangians to the Greeks” passed. Such popular names as Olga (“holy, bright”) and Igor (“strength, warrior”) are of northern origin.

After the baptism of Rus', the names that were indicated in the calendar became popular. Saints are a list of names and days of the year corresponding to the celebration of name days - Name Day. These names belonged to saints revered by the Church, and the dates were the days of honoring these saints. This is where the tradition of naming came from. It was based on the names of saints, martyrs, apostles and biblical righteous people.

But in a short time, the people had not yet gotten used to other people’s names, the meaning of which was very vague. Therefore, in those days, many people had two names: the first, worldly - the one that his parents gave him, and the church - the one that he was given in the church during baptism. Gradually, new names replaced the old ones. But initially alien Greek, Roman and Jewish names acquired a new sound, more pleasant to the Russian ear. So, Basileus became Basil, and Justinia became Ustinia.

How are names translated from Greek?

There were Greek names in the calendar for a reason. After all, there were a lot of saints, Greeks by origin. However, names that sound euphonious to the Greek ear, such as Akaki (“white, light”) were not popular in the Russian language. And if in pre-revolutionary Russia it was still possible to meet a person with that name, now few people would think of calling a child that. Let's look at some examples of names of Greek origin:

• Alexander is a protector of people;
• Alexey - defender;
• Anastasia - resurrected;
• Anatoly - eastern;
• Angelina - messenger;
• Andrey - brave;
• Vasily - royal;
• Galina - silence;
• Georgy is a farmer. Related names - Yuri, Egor;
• Dmitry - dedicated to the goddess Demeter;
• Evgeniy/Evgeniya - noble, noble;
• Ekaterina - pure;
• Elena - light;
• Zoya - life;
• Irina - peace;
• Christina - dedicated to Christ;
• Ksenia - guest;
• Nikita is the winner;
• Peter - stone;
• Sophia - wisdom;
• Fedor is God's gift.

How are names translated from Hebrew?

Names of Jewish origin are also associated with saints, including those of the Old Testament. Examples:

• Anna - grace, grace;
• Daniil (and Russian form - Danilo) - God's judgment;
• Eve - life;
• Elizabeth - worshiper of God;
• Ivan is the mercy of God. The names Yang, Yana are also translated;
• Elijah - the popular form of the name Elijah - the power of God;
• Mary - excellent (according to other interpretations - bitter);
• Michael - godlike;
• Raphael - healing by God;
• Solomon - peaceful;
• Tamara - fig tree;
• Jacob - the popular form of the name Jacob - was the name given to the second-born of two twins, the brother of Esau.

How are Roman names translated?

The Roman Empire was a huge state, and the Roman language was widespread in various areas of the continent. It is not surprising that many Roman names were included in the calendar and became popular among us. Examples:

• Valentin/Valentina - healthy/healthy;
• Valery/Valeria - healthy/healthy;
• Victor/Victoria - winner/winner;
• Konstantin - permanent;
• Maxim - the greatest (maximum);
• Marina - sea;
• Natalya - dear;
• Pavel - baby;
• Sergei - tall, highly respected;
• Tatyana is a calmer;
• Ulyana is the Russian form of the name Juliania - from the Yuli family.

A number of modern Russian names have their origins in the Persian language. The Persian king named Darayavaush was called Darius by the Greeks. This name was quite common, and it was translated as “king.” Among Russian names, the feminine form of this name is more popular - Daria - “queen”. The Greek name of another Persian king - Cyrus - is translated as "lord", "sun" or "far-sighted". The popular Russian name Kirill, although considered Greek, originates from Ancient Persia. The name Kirill literally translates as “little master.”

To find out how to translate names, just look at sites where there are interpretations of names and the history of their origin.

In Greece, in churches and monasteries it is not prohibited to submit notes written in Latin or even in Russian, but still, out of respect for the Greeks, it is better to do this in their native language. Names in notes should be written in Greek in the genitive case. Feminine proper names ending in - α or - η will have the endings - ας and -ης in the genitive case. Masculine proper names ending in - ος, in Gen. case, will have the ending -ου. For convenience, we have compiled a table of Russian names and their Greek analogues. To write a note, just find the name you want, tick it, and then print the notes.

LIST OF NAMES

RUSSIAN OPTION GREEK OPTION

THE GREEKS PLACE A CROSS ONLY ON RESTAL NOTES

• Notes should contain no more than 15 names
  • The donation amount per note is approximately half a euro

  Next to the name, the Greeks do not write “baby”, “sick”, etc.,

believing that the Lord Himself sees the soul of every person

In churches you can only buy candles; icons and books are sold in special stores

Unlike our temples, candles purchased there cannot be taken out of Greek ones.

• The Greeks rarely place candlesticks next to icons; they are mostly located at the entrance to the temple on the street

You cannot, in the presence of a group priest or a clergyman of a given church, independently place icons or other church objects on the relics of saints for consecration. Everything you are

If you want to consecrate, you must give it into the hands of a clergyman located next to the shrine.

The Greeks do not have a separate prayer service for health. Christians buy prosphora at a bread store and in the morning, before the Liturgy, serve it at the altar along with a note about health. In some churches, notes on health are read during a prayer service to the revered saint.

If you are going to receive communion, remember that when approaching the Chalice, you do not have to cross your hands. Take the edge of the plate yourself, which the priest is holding at the other end, and after receiving the Holy Gifts, wipe your lips. Do not kiss the Chalice under any circumstances! The Greeks revere it as the greatest shrine, which is forbidden to touch.

If you want to turn to a Greek priest for a blessing, say: Πατερ, ευλογειτε! (Pater, eulogite), which means “Father, bless.” The priest will answer you “ο Κυριος” (O Kyrios), that is, “God bless.”

After the Christianization of Rus' in 988, every Eastern Slav received a baptismal name from a priest. Baptismal names corresponded to the names of saints and were therefore common Christian names. However, these names are not of Slavic, but of Greek origin. They came to the Eastern Slavs from Byzantium through Bulgaria, where Christianity was adopted even earlier, in 865. This article discusses the meanings of names of Greek origin.

MALE NAMES

ADRIAN - "Coming from Adria." Adria is a port on the Adriatic Sea.

AKAKIY - "Good-hearted."

AXENTIY - "Growing".

ALEXANDER - "Defender of people."

ALEXEY - "Defender".

ANATOLY - "Eastern". Coming from the east, from Asia Minor

ANDREY - "Courageous, brave man." Derived from the ancient Greek "andros" - "man".

ANDRON - Short form of the canonical name Andronik - “conqueror of men.”

ANISIM - "Useful."

APOLLO - Ancient Greek god of the Sun and patron of the arts.

APOLLINARIUS - "Dedicated to Apollo."

ARKADY - "Coming from Arcadia." Arcadia is a region in southern Greece, on the Peloponnese peninsula.

ARISTARCH - "Head of the best."

ARSENY - "Courageous".

ARTEM, ARTEMY - "Unharmed."

ARKHIP - Compound name, means "senior, chief over horses, chief of cavalry."

Athanasius - "Undying"

ATHINOGENES - "Born of the goddess Athena."

VASILY - "Lord, master."

VISSARION - "Forest".

VUKOL - "Shepherd, boot-herder."

GALACTION - "Milk".

HELIUM - Derived from the Greek "helios" - sun.

GENNADY - "Noble"

GEORGE - "Farmer".

GERASIM - "Dear."

GREGORY - "Wakeful, awakened."

DEMENTIUS - "Taming".

DENIS - The ancient Greek name Dionysus was the name of the god of viticulture and winemaking.

DMITRY - “Dedicated to Demeter” (goddess of fertility).

EUGENE - "Noble".

YERMOLAI - Compound name. "Hermes" is the god of trade and "Laos" is the people.

EFIM - "Blessed".

ZINOVY - "The Power of Zeus".

ILLARION - "Merry".

HIPPOLYTUS - "Unharnesser of Horses."

KIRILL - "Mr."

CLIMENT - "Meek, soft."

KUZMA - There are two interpretations: the first is “peace, order”, the second is “decoration”.

LION - "Lion, the mighty brave man."

LEONID - "Son of a lion, from the lion family, lion-like."

LEONTY - "Lion".

MAKAR - "Happy".

NESTOR - "Reminiscent."

NIKANOR - The same as Nikita - “winner”.

NIKITA - "Winner".

NIKIFOR - "Victorious".

NIKODIM - "The Victorious People."

NICHOLAY - "Conqueror of Nations."

ORESTES - "Highlander, savage."

PANKRATIY - "All-Powerful".

PANTELEMON - "All-Merciful."

PARAMON - "Reliable".

PAKHOM - "Broad-shouldered".

PETER - "Stone".

PLATO - "Shouldered".

POLYCARP - "Fertile".

PROCOPIUS - "Prosperous". Russian pronunciation of the name Prokofy.

PROKHOR - "Singing singer, choir director."

RODION - "Pink".

SEVASTIAN - "Sacred".

SPARTAK - “trampling”, “trampling”

STEPAN - "Ring, crown, wreath", canonical form - Stefan.

TARAS - "Exciter, rebel."

TIMOTHY - "He who worships God."

TIKHON - "Successful".

TRIFON - "Luxurious".

TROFIM - "Well-fed, pet."

FEDOR - "God's gift."

FEDOT - "Given by the Gods."

THEODOSIY - "God granted."

PHILIP - "Horse Lover".

ERNEST - "Diligent, diligent."

FEMALE NAMES

AGATA, AGAFIA - From the Greek "agathe" - "good".

AKULINA - "Eagle".

ALEVTINA - There are different interpretations: “taken away, cut off”, “rubbing with incense, anointing”, and also “alien from evil”.

ALEXANDRA - The feminine form of the name Alexander is “protector of people.”

ANASTASIA - "Resurrected".

ANGELINA - "Angelic".

ANGELA - From "angelos" - "angel", and also has the meaning - "messenger".

ANISYA - "Successfully accomplished."

ANTONINA - Feminine form of the name Anton (ancient Roman generic name - Antony).

ANFISA - "Flower".

APPOLINARY - Feminine form from the ancient Greek name Appolinarius - “worshipper of Apollo”. Nowadays the diminutive form is used as an independent name - Polina.

ARIADNE - "Very revered."

VARVARA - Comes from the ancient Greek “barbarian” - “not a Greek”.

VASILISA - "Ruler, Queen".

VERONIKA - Possibly from the Greek-Macedonian "Pherenike" - "victorious".

GALATEA - In ancient Greek mythology, the name of one of the sea nymphs.

GALINA - "Calm, quiet."

GLAFYRA - "Graceful, slender."

DOROTHEA - The feminine form of the male name Dorotheus - "gift of the gods."

EVGENIYA - The feminine form of the male name Evgeny is “noble”.

EVDOKIA - "Gratitude, good wish."

EUPHROSYNE - "Joyful".

EKATERINA - "Immaculate".

ELENA - "Light".

ELIZABETH - "God's oath, vow to God."

ZINAIDA - "Born by Zeus, from the family of Zeus."

ZOYA - "Life".

KIRA - "Mistress".

KSENIA - "Guest".

LARISSA - From the name of the city of Larissa in northern Greece. Another interpretation: “pleasant, sweet” (from the Greek “laros”). Third: "seagull" (from the Latin "larus").

LYDIA - "Coming from Lydia" or "resident of Lydia."

NELLY - Variant of the name from "Neonilla", which means "young"

OLYMPICS - Derived from the name of Mount Olympus - the seat of Zeus and many other Greek gods.

OPHELIA - "Support, help."

PELAGEIA - The same meaning as the name Marina - “sea”.

POLINA - Short form of the ancient Greek name Appolinaria - "worshipper of Apollo." Recently it has been used quite often as an independent name.

RAISA - "Submissive, compliant, easy."

SOFIA - "Wisdom".

TATYANA - "Organizer, founder."

TERESA - "The Reaper".

KHARITINA - "Beautiful, graceful."