How does the Greek name generator work?
Four steps, one receipt. First, pick the mode: full name, given name, or last name. Second, set the gender toggle if you want to lean the pools. Third, press Generate. Fourth, read the receipt: the name, its root breakdown, and the register it belongs to, ancient or Orthodox or the surname system.
That answers what a Greek name generator is: a tool that draws from the real record and shows its sources. Is it free? Yes, with no signup. About 2,900 searches a month ask for this tool, so it is built to answer in one screen.
How do Greek names work?
A Greek name carries a story in its parts. Theodoros is theos (god) plus doron (gift): gift of God. Anastasia is ana (up) plus stasis (standing): resurrection. Nikolaos is nike (victory) plus laos (people). Read the parts and you read the wish the family made.
The second river is the Orthodox calendar. Many Greeks are named for the saint whose day they were born near, and they celebrate that day, their name day, as their second birthday. The two rivers blend: ancient names entered the calendar, and calendar names carry ancient roots. The surname side has its own system, and the Greek last names page maps it ending by ending.
What is a good Greek name?
A good one states something worth stating. Ten names, ancient beside Orthodox, each with the parts on the table.
Greek names with their builds and meanings| Name | Built from | Meaning | Register |
|---|
| Alexandros | alexein (to ward off) + andros (of men) | defender of the people | ancient root |
| Theodoros | theos (god) + doron (gift) | gift of God | ancient root, calendar saint |
| Nikolaos | nike (victory) + laos (people) | victory of the people | ancient root, calendar saint |
| Anastasia | ana (up) + stasis (standing) | resurrection | Orthodox calendar |
| Sophia | sophia (wisdom) | wisdom | ancient root, calendar saint |
| Thanasis | a (without) + thanatos (death) | immortal | ancient root |
| Yannis | Ioannes, from Hebrew Yohanan | God is gracious | Orthodox calendar |
| Eleni | helene (torch) | torch, light | ancient root, of myth |
| Evangelos | eu (good) + angelos (messenger) | bearer of good news | Orthodox calendar |
| Zoe | zoe (life) | life | ancient root, calendar saint |
See the full surname list with meanings on the Greek last names page.
What are female Greek names?
Female Greek names with meanings| Name | Built from | Meaning |
|---|
| Maria | from Hebrew Miriam | the classic; origin debated |
| Eleni | helene (torch) | light |
| Katerina | katharos (pure) | pure |
| Despina | despoina (lady) | lady, mistress |
| Vasiliki | basileus (king) | of the king, royal |
| Christina | Christos (anointed) | follower of Christ |
| Polyxeni | poly (many) + xenos (stranger) | welcoming to strangers |
| Chrysanthi | chrysos (gold) + anthos (flower) | golden flower |
What are male Greek names?
Male Greek names with meanings| Name | Built from | Meaning |
|---|
| Yannis | from Hebrew Yohanan | God is gracious |
| Kostas | from Latin constantinus | steadfast |
| Dimitris | Demeter, grain goddess | follower of Demeter |
| Stavros | stavros (cross) | the cross |
| Panagiotis | pan (all) + hagios (holy) | all-holy, of the Virgin |
| Andreas | andreios (manly) | manly, brave |
| Leonidas | leon (lion) | lion-hearted |
| Sotiris | soter (savior) | savior, deliverer |
How do female and male Greek names differ?
By ending, mostly. Greek grammar gives masculine names an -s and feminine names an -a or -i. Many pairs are the same name in two grammars: Christos and Christina, Evangelos and Evangelia, Vangelis and Vangelio.
Female and male Greek name pairs| Attribute | Male | Female |
|---|
| Usual ending | -os, -is, -as | -a, -i |
| Grammar | nominative -s | first-declension -a |
| Same-root pair | Christos, anointed | Christina, follower |
| Saint habit | named for grandfather | named for grandmother |
What are Greek last names?
The ending is the map. -poulos points to the Peloponnese. -akis points to Crete. -idis and -iadis point to Pontus and Asia Minor. -oglou points to Anatolia. The -ou genitive, as in Georgiou, is the father's name held as family name.
Greek surname endings and their regions| Ending | Example | Region it points to |
|---|
| -opoulos | Papadopoulos | Peloponnese |
| -akis | Papadakis | Crete |
| -idis, -iadis | Nikolaidis | Pontus, Asia Minor |
| -oglou | Anastassoglou | Anatolia, Turkish -oğlu |
| -atos | Gerassimatos | Ionian islands |
| -ou | Georgiou | the genitive style, nationwide |
The full 150-name table with every ending is on the Greek last names page.
Name days: the Orthodox calendar where your name is your holiday
In Greece, your name has its own day on the calendar. The Orthodox church assigns each saint a feast day. If you carry that saint's name, the day is yours. Friends call, family gathers, and you are wished chronia polla, many years. For many Greeks the name day outranks the birthday.
The calendar also drives naming. A child born near a great feast often takes that saint's name. The first son often takes his grandfather's name, and the first daughter her grandmother's. The result is a family tree you can hear: the same handful of names cycling by generation.
Name days and the saints behind them| Name | Name day | The saint behind it |
|---|
| Yannis | January 7 | Ioannis the Baptist, the forerunner |
| Georgios | April 23 | the soldier saint, the dragon legend |
| Konstantinos | May 21 | Constantine, the first Christian emperor |
| Maria | August 15 | the Dormition of the Virgin |
| Dimitris | October 26 | Demetrios, the patron of Thessaloniki |
| Nikolaos | December 6 | Nicholas, the gift-giver of Myra |
What are rare Greek names?
Rare Greek names are the mythic and the regional. The ones below come from the epics or from corners of the country where a register survived locally. The uncommon setting in the generator leans this way.
Rare Greek names with meanings| Rare name | Built from | Meaning |
|---|
| Polyxeni | poly + xenos | welcoming to strangers |
| Aristotelis | aristos + telos | the finest purpose |
| Menelaos | meno + laos | the people's lasting will |
| Efthymia | eu + thymos | good courage |
| Orestis | oros (mountain) | of the mountains |
| Kyriaki | kyrios (the Lord) | Sunday-born |
Greek names vs Russian names?
Orthodox Greece and Orthodox Russia share saints, not structure. The calendar names crossed between them. The middle names did not: Russia builds a patronymic from the father's first name, while Greece goes straight from given name to surname.
Greek versus Russian naming| Attribute | Greek | Russian |
|---|
| Shared stock | Orthodox saints: Yannis, Nikolaos | same saints: Ivan, Nikolai |
| Middle name | none by convention | patronymic: -ovich, -ovna |
| Surname engine | endings map regions | suffixes mark gender: -ov, -eva |
| Extra holiday | the name day | no equivalent |
Same church, different grammars. The Russian name generator runs the patronymic engine.
Greek name generator questions, answered
What is my Greek name?
Greek tradition has no conversion quiz. A Greek name is inherited from a grandparent or given for a saint. The generator builds candidates from real roots, both the ancient and the Orthodox registers. Read the receipt, keep the one that fits the person you are naming.
Is the generator accurate to real Greek naming?
Yes. Every name in the pools is a real Greek name. Ancient roots carry their etymologies, and Orthodox names carry the calendar tradition they belong to. Surnames show their endings and regions. Nothing is invented, and the receipt says which register each name comes from.
Can I get Greek last names only?
Yes. Last-name mode draws surnames with their endings and regions. For the full list with meanings, the Greek last names page tables 150 of them, ending by ending.
What are common Greek last names?
Papadopoulos, Nikolaidis, Papadakis and Georgiou lead the lists. Each ending tells you where the family likely comes from: -poulos for the Peloponnese, -akis for Crete, -idis for Asia Minor, -ou for the genitive style. The full table is on the Greek last names page.
Where this data comes from. Greek etymologies are compiled from published references on Greek naming and the Orthodox calendar. Saints' days follow the standard church calendar. Contested etymologies, like Maria, are flagged as debated rather than smoothed over. Where every name's receipt comes from →