Ancient Greek Names
Ancient Greek names
originated in Greece in the first millennium BC. During this time Greek civilization was influential in the Mediterranean, helping to spread Greek names
throughout the region, notably to the Romans. Greek culture was also felt in Judea during the time of Christ, hence the large number of Greek names in the New Testament
The complete Ancient Greek name consisted of a given name, a patronym, and sometimes a name indicating ethnicity.
Given names were often dithematic, that is having two elements, which were usually based on Ancient Greek vocabulary words. For example, the name Δημοστρατη (Demostrate) was formed of the elements δημου (demou) = "of the people" and στρατος (stratos) = "army".
Ancient Greek names today
Ancient Greek names are commonly used in modern Greece. A large number are also used throughout Europe, transmitted by the New Testament and as saintly names. Examples of English-language forms include:
- New Testament: Andrew, Chloe, Lois, Luke, Peter, Stephen, Timothy
- Saints: Agatha, Agnes, Barbara, George, Gregory, Theodore
On this site
List of Ancient Greek names and meanings
List of Greek (Ancient)-origin names and meanings
http://www.lgpn.ox.ac.uk/publications/index.html Lexicon of Greek Personal Names