The Greek NamesARE YOU LOOKING FOR GREEK GREETING CARDS?
When in Greece, you got the impression that the same Greek names are used all the time: Kostas (Konstantinos), Yiannis and Yiorgos for the men; Maria, Sophia and Eleni for the women.(For a list of Greek names and when they are celebrated see the nameday calendar.) The reason is of course the tradition with naming the children after the grandparents: First son after the father’s father, second son after the mother’s father, first daughter after father’s mother and second daughter after mother’s mother - which means that it seems like every Greek has an uncountable number of cousins, all called the same! You'll also find great regional varieties: In the island of Thasos Panayiotis seems to be the most common men's name, while in the region of Volos you'll find Haralambos being popular - a name you don't hear that often where we live. And yes, this tradition with the Greek names is followed also today by young modern couple, but since most couples today settle for two children, they normally name one from each side of the family.
Fighting over the names...If a child is not named after a grandparent you can almost always presume there is a some kind of family fight – or it’s almost guaranteed that there will be. My friends wanted to name their son Paris, simply because they love the name, but was firmly told by the grandparents that if they did that, their house, which otherwise would go to the grandchild, would be given to someone else. So the boy was called Petros, like grandpa.Another friend is not on speaking terms with her in laws because they for their third child choose a name that they loved, instead of naming the girl after grandma – who by the way already had another granddaughter, only three months older, named after her! My friend Irene had her second son (her first son had been named after her husband’s father) and postponed the baptism for two years – in the meantime the kid was only called bebis - because of worries about the name. The child already had three cousins called Dimitris, so my friend didn’t want to add another Dimitris to the family. She wanted to call him Konstantinos, Kostas, as her mum’s name was Konstantina – the female version of this name. In the end the boy was baptised Konstantinos Dimitris..
Honoring a saint..Well, if it isn't enough that you have to name the child after grandpa or grandma, you also have to make sure that the child is named after a saint (though ancient Greek names are accepted)- or prepare yourself for a fight with the priest. The more liberal priest will let you choose any name as there actually is the possibility that the child will grow up and become a saint himself one day.Couples trying for years to have a baby will often honor a saint when they finally have their wish fulfilled. Rafael is common for a boy while Virgin Mary, Maria,the saint above all saints, normally gets the honor for a girl.
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