Late Greek Names - Behind the Name

Agnes Ἅγνη f English, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Estonian, Late Greek (Latinized)
Latinized form of the Greek name ἁγνός (hagnos) meaning "chaste" [1] [2] [3] . Saint Agnes was a virgin martyred during the persecutions of the Roman emperor Diocletian. The name became associated with Latin agnus "lamb" [4] , resulting in the saint's frequent depiction with a lamb by her side. Due to her renown, the name became common in Christian Europe.... [more]

Anthimos Ἄνθιμος m Late Greek [1] , Greek
Means "blooming, flowered" in Greek, derived from anthos) meaning "flower, blossom". This name was borne by several early saints and martyrs.

Ardalion Ἀρδάλιον m Late Greek, Georgian (Rare), Russian (Rare)
Probably derived from Greek . This was the name of a 4th-century saint and martyr from Asia Minor.

Babylas Βαβύλας m Late Greek, French (Rare)
Derived from the name of the ancient Mesopotamian city of Babylon. Saint Babylas was a 3rd-century patriarch of Antioch who was martyred during the reign of the Roman emperor Decius.

Basileia Βασίλεια f Late Greek [1]
Greek feminine form of Basileios (see Basil 1).

Basileios Βασίλειος m Late Greek [1]
Greek form of Basil 1.

Basilissa Βασίλισσα f Late Greek
Means "queen" in Greek, a feminine form of Basil 1. This name was borne by several early saints.

Basilius Βασίλειος m Late Greek (Latinized)
Latinized form of Greek Basileios (see Basil 1).

Belisarios Βελισάριος m Late Greek
Greek form of Belisarius.

Belisarius Βελισάριος m Late Greek (Latinized)
From Greek Justinian, restoring some of the Roman territory lost in the west.

Bessarion Βησσαρίων m Late Greek
Meaning uncertain, possibly from Greek . This was the name of a 5th-century Egyptian hermit who was a disciple of Saint Anthony the Great. It was later adopted by the scholar Basilios Bessarion (1403-1472), a Greek born in Byzantine Anatolia who became a Roman Catholic bishop.

Christodoulos Χριστόδουλος m Greek, Late Greek [1]
Means "slave of Christ" in Greek, derived from δοῦλος (doulos) meaning "slave, servant".

Christophoros Χριστόφορος m Late Greek [1]
Greek form of Christopher.

Diadoumenos Διαδούμενος m Late Greek [1]
Greek form of Diadumenus.

Diadumenus Διαδούμενος m Late Greek (Latinized)
Latinized form of Greek . This was the name of a sculpture by the 5th-century BC Greek sculptor Polyclitus.

Dioscorus Διόσκορος m Late Greek (Latinized)
Latinized form of the Late Greek name Zeus". This name was borne by a 3rd-century saint and martyr from Perga, and by two Coptic patriarchs of Alexandria.

Dioskoros Διόσκορος m Late Greek
Greek form of Dioscorus.

Elpidios Ἐλπίδιος m Late Greek [1]
Greek form of Elpidius.

Elpidius Ἐλπίδιος m Late Greek (Latinized)
Latinized form of the Greek name ἐλπίς (elpis) meaning "hope". This was the name of a 4th-century saint who spent twenty years in a cave in Cappadocia.

Epiphanios Ἐπιφάνιος m Late Greek [1]
Greek form of Epifanio.

Epiphanius Ἐπιφάνιος m Late Greek (Latinized)
Latinized form of Epiphanios (see Epifanio).

Episteme Ἐπιστήμη f Late Greek [1]
Means "knowledge, science" in Greek. Saint Episteme was a 3rd-century Syrian woman martyred with her husband Galaktion.

Erasmos Ἔρασμος m Late Greek
Greek form of Erasmus.

Erasmus Ἔρασμος m Late Greek (Latinized)
Derived from Greek . Saint Erasmus, also known as Saint Elmo, was a 4th-century martyr who is the patron saint of sailors. Erasmus was also the name of a Dutch scholar of the Renaissance period.

Eulampia Εὐλαμπία f Late Greek
Feminine form of Eulampios. This was the name of a 4th-century saint who was martyred with her brother Eulampios.

Eulampios Εὐλάμπιος m Late Greek
Derived from Greek eu) meaning "good" and lampo) meaning "to shine". This was the name of a 4th-century saint who was martyred with his sister Eulampia.

Eulogios Εὐλόγιος m Late Greek [1]
Greek form of Eulogius.

Eulogius Εὐλόγιος m Late Greek (Latinized)
Latinized form of Greek εὔλογος (eulogos) meaning "reasonable" or . Both words are themselves derived from eu) meaning "good" and logos) meaning "drawing, writing".... [more]

Eusebios Εὐσέβιος m Late Greek [1]
Derived from Greek , itself derived from eu) meaning "good" and sebo) meaning "to worship, to honour" [2] [3] . This was the name of several saints.

Eusebius Εὐσέβιος m Late Greek (Latinized)
Latinized form of Eusebios. This was the name of a 4th-century historian of the Christian church.

Eustathia Εὐσταθία f Late Greek [1]
Feminine form of Eustathios.

Eustratios Εὐστράτιος m Late Greek
Means "good army" in Greek, derived from eu) meaning "good" and stratos) meaning "army" [1] [2] .

Euthalia Εὐθαλία f Late Greek
Means "flower, bloom" from the Greek word εὖ (eu) meaning "good" and thallo) meaning "to blossom" [1] [2] . This name was borne by a 3rd-century saint and martyr from Sicily.

Galaktion Γαλακτίων m Late Greek, Georgian
Probably a derivative of Greek (genitive Gelasios Γελάσιος m Late Greek [1]
Greek form of Gelasius.

Gelasius Γελάσιος m Late Greek (Latinized)
Latinized form of the Greek name γέλασις (gelasis) meaning "laughing". This name was borne by two popes.

Gennadios Γεννάδιος m Late Greek [1]
Greek form of Gennadius.

Gennadius Γεννάδιος m Late Greek (Latinized)
Latinized form of the Greek name γεννάδας (gennadas) meaning "noble, generous". Saint Gennadius was an early martyr from North Africa.

Gerasimos Γεράσιμος m Greek, Late Greek [1]
Derived from Greek . Saint Gerasimus was a 5th-century hermit who lived near the Jordan River.

Glykeria Γλυκερία f Greek, Late Greek [1]
From Greek . This was the name of a 2nd-century saint from Heraclea.

Gregorios Γρηγόριος m Late Greek [1]
Ancient Greek form of Gregory.

Gregorius Γρηγόριος m Late Greek (Latinized)
Latinized form of Gregorios.

Hagne Ἅγνη f Late Greek [1]
Original Greek form of Agnes.

Helladios Ἑλλάδιος m Late Greek [1]
Greek form of Helladius.

Helladius Ἑλλάδιος m Late Greek (Latinized)
Latinized form of the Late Greek name Ἑλλάδος (Hellados) meaning "of Greece". Saint Helladius was a 7th-century archbishop of Toledo.

Hesychios Ἡσύχιος m Late Greek [1]
Means "still, quiet, at rest" in Greek. This name was borne by a noted grammarian from Alexandria, who is thought to have lived in the 5th or 6th century. It was also the name of a few early saints.

Hesychius Ἡσύχιος m Late Greek (Latinized)
Latinized form of Hesychios.

Hypomone Ὑπομονὴ f Late Greek
Means "patience" in Greek. This was the monastic name of Saint Helena Dragaš (1372-1450), the mother of the last two Byzantine emperors, adopted when she became a nun.

Ioannicius Ἰωαννίκιος m Late Greek (Latinized)
Latinized form of Ioannikios.

Ioannikios Ἰωαννίκιος m Late Greek
Combination of Ioannes and Greek nike) meaning "victory". This name was borne by Ioannikios (or Joannicius) the Great, a 9th-century Byzantine saint.

Joannicius Ἰωαννίκιος m Late Greek (Latinized)
Latinized form of Ioannikios.

Koralia Κοραλία f Greek, Late Greek
Derived from Ancient Greek korallion) meaning "coral" (in Modern Greek Macarius Μακάριος m Late Greek (Latinized)
Latin form of Macario.

Makarios Μακάριος m Late Greek [1]
Greek form of Macario.

Manouel Μανουήλ m Late Greek
Medieval Greek form of Manuel.

Manuel Μανουήλ m Spanish, Portuguese, German, Italian, French, Romanian, Late Greek (Latinized)
Spanish and Portuguese form of Emmanuel. In the spelling Meletios Μελέτιος m Late Greek [1]
Greek form of Meletius.

Meletius Μελέτιος m Late Greek (Latinized)
Latinized form of Greek μελέτη (melete) meaning "practice, exercise, care, attention". Saint Meletius was a 4th-century bishop of Antioch.

Methodios Μεθόδιος m Late Greek
Greek form of Methodius.

Methodius Μεθόδιος m Late Greek (Latinized)
Latinized form of the Greek name μέθοδος (methodos) meaning "pursuit" or "method", ultimately from meta) meaning "with" and hodos) meaning "road, way, journey". Saint Methodius was a Greek missionary to the Slavs who developed the Cyrillic alphabet (with his brother Cyril) in order to translate the Bible into Slavic.

Nektarios Νεκτάριος m Greek, Late Greek [1]
Derived from Greek .

Neonilla Νεόνιλλα f Late Greek [1] , Russian (Rare)
From a Greek name derived from neos) meaning "new" [2] . This was the name of an Orthodox Christian saint, a 3rd-century Syrian woman martyred during the persecutions of the Roman emperor Decius.

Nonna Νόννα f Late Greek [1] , Russian
Feminine form of Nonnos. This was the name of a 4th-century saint from Nazianzus in Cappadocia. She was the mother of Saint Gregory of Nazianzus.

Nonnos Νόννος m Late Greek [1]
Meaning unknown, probably of Egyptian or Semitic origin. Saint Nonnos was a 4th-century Egyptian monk who became a bishop of Heliopolis in Syria. The name was also borne by a noted 5th-century Egyptian poet who wrote in Greek.

Palladios Παλλάδιος m Late Greek [1]
Greek form of Palladius.

Palladius Παλλάδιος m Late Greek (Latinized)
Latinized form of the Greek name Pallas 1, an epithet of Athena. This name was borne by several saints.

Panteleimon Παντελεήμων m Late Greek
From Greek pan) meaning "all" (genitive ἐλεήμων (eleemon) meaning "compassionate" [1] [2] . This was a name given to Saint Pantaleon.

Paraskevas Παρασκευάς m Greek, Late Greek
Masculine form of Paraskeve.

Paraskeve Παρασκευή f Late Greek [1]
Derived from Greek or "Friday" (being the day of preparation). This was the name of a 2nd-century saint who was martyred in Rome.

Polychronios Πολυχρόνιος m Late Greek [1] , Greek
Means "long-lasting, long-lived, ancient" in Greek, derived from polys) meaning "much" and chronos) meaning "time" [2] [3] . This was the name of two early saints and a hieromartyr from Cyprus.

Prokopios Προκόπιος m Greek, Late Greek [1]
Derived from Greek . Saint Prokopios was an early Christian martyr who was beheaded in Palestine during the persecutions of the Roman emperor Diocletian.

Prosdocimus Προσδόκιμος m Late Greek (Latinized)
Latinized form of Greek . The 1st-century saint Prosdocimus was the first bishop of Padua.

Prosdokimos Προσδόκιμος m Late Greek [1]
Greek form of Prosdocimus.

Romanos Ρωμανός m Late Greek [1]
Greek form of Romanus (see Roman). This was the name of four Byzantine emperors.

Sabbas Σάββας m Late Greek
Greek form of Sabas.

Sophronia Σωφρονία f Literature, Late Greek [1]
Feminine form of Sophronius. Torquato Tasso used it in his epic poem Jerusalem Delivered (1580), in which it is borne by the lover of Olindo.

Sophronios Σωφρόνιος m Late Greek [1]
Greek form of Sophronius.

Sophronius Σωφρόνιος m Late Greek (Latinized)
Latinized form of the Greek name σώφρων (sophron) meaning "self-controlled, sensible" [1] . Saint Sophronius was a 7th-century patriarch of Jerusalem.

Spyridon Σπυρίδων m Greek, Late Greek [1]
Late Greek name derived from Greek or Latin spiritus meaning "spirit". Saint Spyridon was a 4th-century sheep farmer who became the bishop of Tremithus and suffered during the persecutions of Emperor Diocletian.

Stylianos Στυλιανός m Greek, Late Greek [1]
Derived from Greek . Saint Stylianos of Paphlagonia was a 6th-century hermit from Adrianopolis in Asia Minor who is regarded as a patron saint of children.

Tarasios Ταράσιος m Late Greek [1]
Greek form of Taras.

Thecla Θέκλα f Dutch (Rare), Late Greek (Latinized)
Latinized form of Thekla.

Thekla Θέκλα f German (Rare), Greek (Rare), Late Greek [1]
From the ancient Greek name [2] , which meant "glory of God" from the Greek elements theos) meaning "god" and kleos) meaning "glory" [3] [4] . This was the name of a 1st-century saint, appearing (as Paul speak about the virtues of chastity and decides to remain a virgin, angering both her mother and her suitor.

Theodoulos Θεόδουλος m Late Greek [1]
Greek form of Theodulus.

Theodulus Θεόδουλος m Late Greek (Latinized)
Latinized form of the Greek name , derived from theos) meaning "god" and doulos) meaning "slave, servant" [1] [2] . This name was borne by several early saints.

Theognostos Θεόγνωστος m Late Greek
From Greek theos) meaning "god" and gnostos) meaning "known, familiar" [1] [2] .

Theophylaktos Θεοφύλακτος m Late Greek [1]
Means "watched by god" from Greek theos) meaning "god" and phylakteos) meaning "to be watched" [2] [3] . Saint Theophylaktos was a 9th-century bishop of Nicomedia who was banished to Caria.

Theopiste Θεοπίστη f Late Greek
Feminine form of Theopistos. This name was borne by an obscure early saint.

Theopistos Θεόπιστος m Late Greek [1]
Means "faithful to God" in Greek, from theos) meaning "god" and pistos) meaning "faithful, trusty" [2] [3] .

Therapon Θεράπων m Late Greek [1]
Means "servant" or "worshipper" in Greek.

Xene Ξένη f Late Greek
Variant of Xenia. This was occasionally adopted as a monastic name during the Byzantine era.

Zenaida Ζηναΐδα f Late Greek
Apparently a Greek derivative of Zeus. This was the name of a 1st-century saint who was a doctor with her sister Philonella.