Greece Naming Customs: Difference between revisions

Greece Naming Customs (view source)

Revision as of 20:14, 16 May 2017

6,241 bytes added , 16 May 2017

m

no edit summary

VisualWikitext

Hanna5974

318,531

edits

@@ Line 9: / Line 9: @@
 See, [[Media:Lica Catsakis 9 Learn About Names.pdf|'''Chapter 9 LEARN ABOUT NAMES''']] for an in depth discussion of naming practices.
 <br>
+==Given Names==
+There is only one way of spelling a Greek given name. If it is found with a different spelling it means the person who wrote it made a spelling mistake.
+===Naming children===
+A child receives his/her name during baptism, when still an infant, some times as young as a few days old. The name is given by the godfather (or godmother) who may choose a name of a member of his own family or any other name. If the godfather desires to ask the parent’s preference, then most of the times the parents follow the tradition according which the children in a family are named as follows:
+*The first son is named after the father's father.
+*The second son is named after the mother's father.
+*The first daughter is named after the father's mother
+*The second daughter is named after the mother's mother.
+*Other children in the family are usually named after uncles or other relatives, saints, friends etc.
+*A daughter is never named after the mother unless the mother dies before the daughter is named.
+<br>
+This custom is not necessarily followed in every case but when followed, it can greatly simplify a search for the names of grandparents. If a child dies young, then another child, born later, would most likely be given the same name.
+<br>
+Example:<br>
+::If a girl named Vasiliki dies and later the parents have a new baby girl, they most likely will name the new baby Vasiliki also. But if the new baby is a
+boy they may name him Vasilis which is the male form of that name.
+::If a male infant appears to have little chance of surviving, he is named Θεόδωρoς [Theodoros] meaning God’s gift, or Θεoχάρης [Theoharis], meaning God's grace or God's will, or Θεoδόσιoς [God given], is given to him. If it is a girl, she may be called Θεoδώρα (female form of Θεόδωρoς).
+===Given names indicating place of origin===
+{|
+|-
+|
+ Name
+|Place of origin
+|-
+*Γεράσιμoς (''Gerasimos'')<br>
+|
+Kefallinia (island)
+|-
+|
+*Διoνύσιoς (''Dionysios, Nionios'')
+|Zakynthos (island)
+|-
+|
+-Μαρίτσα (''Maritsa'')
+|Crete or Asia Minor
+|-
+|
+*female names ending in -o
+|mostly Mainland
+|-
+|
+*ancient Greek names
+|mostly Asia Minor
+|}
+===Name changes in adulthood===
+*'''Priests''' some times, upon ordination when joining the clergy, would receive a new name. Therefore, if his given name were Σωκράτης [Sokratis], after being ordained he might take the name Παύλoς [Paulos] or some other saint's name. The ordained person is usually called by his given (or new) name with the prefix Papa- [Papa-] indicating his title.
+::Example:
+:::If his name were Σωκράτης Καvάκης [Sokratis Kanakis ] and his new name were Παύλoς [Paulos] he would be called Παπα-Παύλoς [Papa-Paulos] or Παπα-Κανάκης [Papa-Kanakis]; but never Σωκράτης [Sokratis] nor Παπα-Σωκράτης [Papa-Sokratis].
+*A '''priest’s wife''' often is not called by her given name but by the name Πρεσβυτέρα [Presvytera] which is actually a title meaning "the wife of an elder" for it derives from Πρεσβύτερoς [Presvyteros] which means elder)
+*'''Wives''' sometimes are refered to by the name of their husbands on which the ending -αινα [-aina] or -ινα [-ina] is added. Some times the given name of the husband is used and other times his surname.
+::Example:
+:::If the husband's name is Παύλoς [Paulos], the wife is called Παύλαινα [Paulaina]. Or if his surname is Πλατής [Platis] she may be called Πλατίνα
+[Platina].
+===Variations of given names===
+It should also be noted that, for every Greek given name, there may exist several variations or nicknames which may appear quite different. Richard and Dick is an example of how this occurs in English. However on records the official name is recorded, not the altered name.  [[Media:Lica Catsakis 9 Learn About Names.pdf|'''Chapter 9 LEARN ABOUT NAMES''', Appendix B, p.149]] includes a list of common Greek given names showing their variations and the usual English equivalents.
+Male given names end in -as, -os, and -is.
+Female given names end in -a, or -i. Most
+female names ending in -o are from the
+mainland. There is no given Greek name that
+does not indicate the gender of the person who
+bears it. However there are names that appear
+in male and female forms.
+Example:
+Male Female
+Μάριoς [Marios] Μαρία[Maria]
+Γεώργιoς [Georgios] Γεωργία [Georgia]
+Note that instead of celebrating birth dates
+Greek people celebrate name days. For a list
+of given names, their variations, their English
+equivalents, and the dates those names are
+celebrated see  [[Media:Lica Catsakis 9 Learn About Names.pdf|'''Chapter 9 LEARN ABOUT NAMES''', Appendix B, p.149.]]
+==Middle Names==
+Greeks do not have middle names. What
+appears between the given name and the
+surname is not a middle name; it is the given
+name of the person’s father. Grammatically
+this is the possessive form of the father's
+name, similar to the -'s used in English.
+Example:
+ Georgios, the son of Nikolaos Kanakis
+is: Georgios Nikolaou Kanakis.
+ Ioanna, the daughter of Nikolaos Kanakis
+is: Ioanna Nikolaou Kanaki.
+For a married woman the name between her
+given name and her new surname is the given
+name of her husband. Today some women in
+Greece maintain their maiden name after
+marriage.
+Upon divorce she receives back her father’s
+given name and last name. This is mandatory
+without any exceptions.
+The order in which the names are written is
+not always the same. The surname may be
+written first or last, and the father’s (or the
+husband’s) given name may be in the middle
+or at the end.
+A child may be given two “given names.” In
+some records the one given name will be
+written first, and in another record the other
+given name will be written first.
+Example:
+The baptism record may state:
+Νικόλαoς Ανδρέας Γεωργίoυ Κανάκης
+Nikolaos Andreas Georgiou Kanakis
+ (given names) (father’s) (surname)
+The recruting record may state:
+Ανδρέας Νικόλαoς Γεωργίoυ Κανάκης
+Andreas Nikolaos Georgiou Kanakis
+The name Andreas was placed first because in
+the Greek alphabet the letter “A” is before the
+letter “N” ).
+S
 Understanding surnames and given names can help you find and identify your ancestors in the records. Because names sometimes changed for many families throughout time, it is important to know some of the customs concerning naming practices in Greece.