Greek Name Days; According to the Orthodox Church, every day of the year is dedicated to the memory of at least one (usually more than one) saint or martyr. If someone is named after a saint, then there is a big celebration on his or her name day.
In Greece and Cyprus many names derive from long pagan tradition, and there may not be a Christian saint by the same name. In such a case the person is said "not to have" a name day, or they may choose to celebrate on All Saints' Day.
The vast majority of name days are on the same date every year; the few exceptions are names directly or indirectly associated with Easter, and are floating. This facilitates social interaction, as all Greek language calendars include detailed name day lists. Some name days coincide with major Christian feasts, for example people whose names are Chrēstos or Christine have their name day on Christmas, people named after St. Basil have their name day on New Year's Day, Anastásios and Anastasía on Easter Sunday, María and Mários on the Dormition or on the Presentation, etc.
January 1 -
New Year's Day - Agios Basileios,Vassilis(Basil) January 6 - Theofania, Theofanis,Fotis, Fanis, Fotini January 7 - Synaksi Ioannos, Ioannis,Yannis, Giannis (John), Gianna,Janna, January 8 - Dominikis (Dominique) January 10 - Grigorios Nussis January 11 - Theodosios, Thodoris (Theodore) January 17 - Antonios, Antonia, Antonis (Anthony) January 18 - Athanasios & Kurillos,Thanassis January 19 - Makarios January 20 - Eythimios, Thimios January 21 - Maximos, Massimos/ Neofytos / Agnis(Agnes) January 22 - Anastasios / Timothetos, Tassos January 23 - Agathagellos January 24 - Xenis, Xeni January 25 - Grigorios Theologos / Margarita,Grigoris, Grigorios(Gregory) January 26 - Xenofontos January 29 - Ignatios January 30 - Trion Ierarxon January 31 - Kyros & Ioannos Aaron |
February 1 -
Tryfonos February 2 - Ypapanti tos Sotiros, Sotiri February 5 - Agathis (Agatha) February 6 - Voskolos / Fotios February 7 - Parthenios February 8 - Zaxarios / Theod. Stratilatos February 9 - Nikiforos February 10 - Haralampous, Zinonos, Haralambos,Hara, Hariklia, Haroula February 11 - Vasios February 12 - Meletios February 13 - Akula & Priskillis(Priscilla) February 14 - Ayxentios, Valentini, St. Valentine February 15 - Eusevios, Eusebios February 17 - Theodoros Tironos / Poulcherias February 18 - Leontos Romis February 20 - Agathonos / Vissarionos February 22 - Anthi (Anthea) February 23 - Polykarpos February 23 - Nestoros February 25 - Tarasios February 26 - Porfyros, Sevastianos (Sebastian),Fotini |
March 1 - Marias Aigyptias,
Efdokias / TisTyrofagos March 2 - Efthalias March 3 - Kleonikos March 5 - Kononos March 7 - Laurentios (Laurens, Laura) March 8 - Theofylaktos March 16 - Xristodosios March 17 - Alexios, Alexia, Alexis (Alex) March 18 - Kyrillos March 19 - Xrysanthos, Chrisantos March 21 - Iakovos (Jacob) March 25 - Evagelismos tis Theotokos, Evagelos, Eva, Vangelis March 27 - Ilarionos, Lydia March 31 - Ypatios |
April 6 -
Eftyxios ## Giorgos' nameday is on April 23,unless this is Easter Sunday, or in the week before it. Then it is celebrated on the first Monday after Easter Sunday. |
May 2 - Zoodochos Pigis May 3 - Timotheos (Timothy, Tim) May 5 - Eirinis, Irini (Irene) May 6 - Serafim May 7 - Akakios May 9 - Christoforos (Chris) May 10 - Simonos (Simon) May 11 - Kyrillos & Methodos May 13 - Sergios, Glykerias, Glykeria (Sergio) May 15 - Paxomios May 17 - Andronikos May 18 - Ioulias, Ioulia (Julia, July, Julie) May 19 - Menandrios May 21 - Konstantinos &Elenis,Konstantinos, Kostas, Thina, Kostathina, Eleni (Helen, Tina,Dina) May 27 - Ioannos Rosos May 28 - Tis Analipseos May 29 - Theodosias May 30 - Isaakios (Isaac) |
June 2 - Nikiforos June 4 - Marthas & Marias, Martha June 5 - Dorotheos (Dorothea, Dorothy) June 7 - Sevastianis (Sebastian) June 8 - Kalliopis, Kalliopi June 11 - Vartholomaios, Varnava (Barbara) June 19 - Paisios June 22 - Zinonos June 29 - Petros & Paulos, Petros, Pavlos (Peter, Paul, Pavel) June 30 - Synaksi ton 12 Apostolon, Apostolis, Apostolos |
July 1 -
Kosma & Damianos (Damian) July 3 - Yakinthos July 7 - Kuriakis, Kiriaki July 8 - Theofilos, Prokopios July 9 - Pagratios July 11 - Eufimias, Olgas (Olga) July 12 - Veronikis (Veronica) July 14 - Nikodimos July 16 - Athinogenoss July 17 - Marinas, Marina July 18 - Aimilianos (Emile, Emilie) July 20 - Profiti Elia, Ilias July 22 - Marias Magdalinis, Magdalini, Magda, Magdalena, Lena July 26 - Parakseuis July 27 - Panteleimonos, Pantelis July 29 - Kallinikos July 31 - Iosif Arimatheias, Iosif, Sifi (Joseph, Jozef, Joost) |
August 6 - Sotiris, Sotiria August 7 - Asterios, Asteria August 15 - Assumption Day - Koimisis tis Theotokos, Maria, Despina, Thespina, Marios August 24 - Kosma tos Aitolos August 26 - Andrianos & Natalias, Adrianos, Nathalia, Natalia (Adrian) August 27 - Fanourios, Fanouria August 30 - Alexandros, Alexandra (Alexandra, Sandra, Sander, Alexander, Alex) |
September 1 - Simeon September 3 - Anthimos September 4 - Moisi, Ermionis September 5 - Zaxarios, Zacharias September 8 - Gennisi tis Theotokos September 9 - Ioakeim & Annis (Joachim) September 11 - Evathia (Eve, Eva) September 13 - Kornilios, Aristeidos, Kornilia September 14 - Ypsosi tos Timios Stauros, Stavros (Steven), Stavroula September 15 - Nikita September 16 - Eyfimias September 17 - Sofias, Pisteos, Agapis, Elpidas, Sofia, Agapi, Elpida September 18 - Eumenios, Ariadnis (Ariadne) September 20 - Eustathios, Stathis September 22 - Fokas September 23 - Sullipsi Prodromos September 24 - Theklas, Thekla September 25 - Eyfrosinis September 26 - Metastasi Ioannos Euaggelistos September 27 - Kallistratos September 29 - Kuriakos, Kiriakos |
October 1 - Ananios / Pomanos Melodos October 2 - Kuprianos / Iosstiounis October 3 - Dionisios Aeropagitos, Dionisos October 4 - Ierotheos October 5 - Xaritinis October 6 - Thoma (Thomas, Tom) October 7 - Poluxronios October 8 - Pelagias, Pelagia October 9 - Iakovos (Jakob) October 10 - Eulampios October 15 - Loskianos October 18 - Loska, Loskas (Lucas, Luke) October 19 - Kleopatras October 20 - Artemios / Gerasimos Kefallinias, Yerasimos October 21 - Sokratous, Sokrates, Sokratis October 23 - Iakovos (Jacob) October 24 - Sevastianis (Sebastian) October 26 - Dimitrios Myrovlitos, Dimitris, Dimitrios, Dimitria (Jim, James) October 27 - Nestoros October 28 - Agias Skepis October 30 - Zinovios |
November 1 - Ag. Anarron/ Kosma &
Damianos, Anargiros, Argiris, Kosmas, Damianos (Damian) November 8 - Mixael & Gavriel, Mixalis, Michail, Michali, Angelos, Stamatis, Stamos (Michael, Angelo, Gabriel) November 9 - Nektarios November 11 - Mina / Viktoros (Victor, Vic) November 13 - Ioannos Xrysostomos November 14 - Filippos, Philippos (Philip) November 16 - Mathaios (Matthias) November 18 - Platonos November 21 - Eisodia tis Theotokos, Despina, Maria (unmarried) November 22 - Filimonos (Filemon) November 25 - Merkourios / Aikaterinis, Katerina (Catherine) November 26 - Stulianos, Stella, Stelios, Stylianos November 27 - Nathanail November 30 - Andrea, Andreas (Andrew, André) |
December 1 - Theoklitos December 2 - Muropis December 4 - Varvaras, Barbara December 5 - Savva, Savas, Diogenes December 6 - Nikolaos, Nikos (Nicolas, Nick, Niek) December 7 - Amvrosios, Ambrosius December 9 - Agias Annis, Anna December 12 - Spuridonos, Spiros December 13 - Eustratios / Loskias, Stratos, Stratis, Lukia December 15 - Eleutherios, Elefterios, Lefteris December 17 - Daniel / Dionysios Zakunthos, Dionysos December 18 - Sevastianos & Zois (Sebastian) December 19 - Aglaias December 20 - Ignatios December 21 - Themistokleous, Ioulia, Julia, Julie December 22 - Anastasias, Anastasia December 24 - Eugenias, Evyenia, Efgeni, Jefgeni, Yefgeni December 25 - Christmas Day, Christos, Chrisa, Chrisanthi, Christina December 26 - Emmanouil / Synaksi Theotokos, Manolis, Manuella, Emma December 27 - Stefanos, Stephania (Steven, Stephan, Stefania) |
* means the date changes each year