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Greece Naming Customs: Difference between revisions
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Some books are available that discuss names in Greece. A description of Greek naming practices and given names is: | Some books are available that discuss names in Greece. A description of Greek naming practices and given names is: | ||
''Greek Personal Names''. Washington, D.C.: Central Intelligence Agency, 1961. (FHL book 949.5 D4u; film 1344072). | * ''Greek Personal Names''. Washington, D.C.: Central Intelligence Agency, 1961. (FHL book 949.5 D4u; film 1344072). | ||
For descendants of a Greek immigrant to the United States, it may be a problem to determine the actual name of an immigrant ancestor. Some immigrants were so eager to be assimilated into American life, that they dropped their Greek names and adopted American names. Given names were generally translated to their closest equivalents: Ioannis to John, Paulos to Paul, Euaggelia to Angela. Sometimes where there was not an equivalent English name, the new name does not represent the original name at all: Athanasios might have become Bill or Joe. | For descendants of a Greek immigrant to the United States, it may be a problem to determine the actual name of an immigrant ancestor. Some immigrants were so eager to be assimilated into American life, that they dropped their Greek names and adopted American names. Given names were generally translated to their closest equivalents: Ioannis to John, Paulos to Paul, Euaggelia to Angela. Sometimes where there was not an equivalent English name, the new name does not represent the original name at all: Athanasios might have become Bill or Joe. | ||
Surnames were likewise anglicized. Many were simply shortened, as in cases where Papageorgiou or Papanikolaou became Papas, or Hristopoulos or Nikolopoulos became Poulos, or Anagnostopoulos became Agnew (as in the family of a former vice-president of the United States). Sometimes only the spelling changed, as in Karydids to Caridis. The name may have been translated, as in Raptis to Taylor or Ioannatos to Johnson. The spelling may have also been changed so the name was easier to pronounce, as in Grigoriou to Gregory. | Surnames were likewise anglicized. Many were simply shortened, as in cases where Papageorgiou or Papanikolaou became Papas, or Hristopoulos or Nikolopoulos became Poulos, or Anagnostopoulos became Agnew (as in the family of a former vice-president of the United States). Sometimes only the spelling changed, as in Karydids to Caridis. The name may have been translated, as in Raptis to Taylor or Ioannatos to Johnson. The spelling may have also been changed so the name was easier to pronounce, as in Grigoriou to Gregory. | ||
[[Category:Greece]] | [[Category:Greece]] | ||