Greek Name Generator
Greek names built the way Greek builds them: two real elements joined, plus modern surnames in -opoulos, -akis and -idis.
3,029,400 combinations
Male and female greek names, each with a matching greek last name and the meaning of every element shown.
- Polyboulos Petroulis
Poly many + boulos counsel
Petr stone + oulis young one
young one stone
- Stephanopistis Kalogeroglou
Stephano crown + pistis faith
Kaloger monk + oglou son of
son of monk
- Agathodoulos Kalogeratos
Agatho good + doulos servant
Kaloger monk + atos from
from monk
- Hippognome Mavropoulou
Hippo horse + gnome judgement
Mavr black + opoulou daughter of
daughter of black
- Polyxenos Kalatos
Poly many + xenos stranger
Kal good + atos from
from good
- Theodote Panagiotianou
Theo god + dote given
Panagiot all-holy + ianou of the house
of the house all-holy
- Thymolykos Kokkinoulis
Thymo courage + lykos wolf
Kokkin red + oulis young one
young one red
- Praxikore Nikoladou
Praxi action + kore maiden
Nikol victory + adou child of
child of victory
- Ouranipistos Angelis
Ourani heavenly + pistos faithful
Angel messenger + is one called
one called messenger
- Dorodoxa Christoda
Doro gift + doxa renown
Christod christ's servant + a one called
one called christ's servant
- Theobios Kondadis
Theo god + bios life
Kond short + adis child of
child of short
- Xenothalia Georgea
Xeno guest + thalia blooming
Georg farmer + ea hailing from
hailing from farmer
- Pyrodikos Vasileas
Pyro fire + dikos justice
Vasil king + eas hailing from
hailing from king
- Praxicharis Christodou
Praxi action + charis grace
Christod christ's servant + ou of the family
of the family christ's servant
- Timostratos Papadianos
Timo honour + stratos army
Papad priest + ianos of the house
of the house priest
- Rhodotherme Mavriou
Rhodo rose + therme warmth
Mavr black + iou belonging to
belonging to black
- Demomedes Psarellis
Demo people + medes cunning
Psar grizzled + ellis of the line
of the line grizzled
- Aglagalene Anagnostakou
Agla splendour + galene calm
Anagnost reader + akou daughter of
daughter of reader
- Heliodoulos Georgos
Helio sun + doulos servant
Georg farmer + os one called
one called farmer
- Praxipistis Psariou
Praxi action + pistis faith
Psar grizzled + iou belonging to
belonging to grizzled
- Anaxikrates Mavradis
Anaxi lord + krates might
Mavr black + adis child of
child of black
- Iphiphylla Stavri
Iphi mighty + phylla leaves
Stavr cross + i one called
one called cross
- Telenomos Mavroudis
Tele far + nomos law
Mavr black + oudis descendant
descendant black
- Hedycharis Asprea
Hedy pleasant + charis grace
Aspr white + ea hailing from
hailing from white
Need a name that means something in particular? Build one from its meaning.
How Greek names are built
¶A Greek name is two words welded together, and both halves still mean something. Nike victory plus laos people gives Nikolaos, victory of the people. Theos god plus doron gift gives Theodoros. Philos loving plus hippos horse gives Philippos, the horse lover. Kleos glory plus pater father gives Kleopatra. The ending carries the gender: os for a man, a or e for a woman, so Alexandros defends men and Alexandra does the same work in the feminine.
Classical Greece had no surnames. A citizen was identified by three things: his own name, his father's name in the genitive, and his deme or home town. Perikles was Perikles son of Xanthippos of Cholargos. The suffix ides or iades did the same job as a family label for a whole clan, giving the Peisistratidai, the sons of Peisistratos, and it survives in modern surnames as idis and iadis.
Modern surnames map the country. Opoulos, from the Latin word for a young animal, means son of and clusters in the Peloponnese; akis is the Cretan diminutive; idis and iadis are Pontic; oglou is the Turkish word for son, carried west by refugees from Asia Minor. Papa marks descent from a priest and Chatzi from an ancestor who made the pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Women take the genitive: Papadopoulos, but Papadopoulou.
More greek names
Male greek names
- Chrysomedes Kyronis gold cunning
- Kallixenos Psareas beautiful stranger
- Heliomedes Zografellis sun cunning
- Sosiphron Dimitrianos saving mind
- Androthymos Makroglou man heart
- Architropos Aspreas chief turning
- Nikokleitos Kokkinoulis victory famed
- Lysikydes Dimitroudis releasing renown
- Meliphanes Kareas honey shining
- Menoboulos Angelakos spirit counsel
- Leophanes Mavronis lion shining
- Onesikles Kondopoulos benefit fame
- Chrysonous Angelianos gold intellect
- Androxenos Kalogeras man stranger
- Stratodoros Kalides army gift
- Glykomedes Petros sweet cunning
- Ambrodamos Panagiotonis immortal folk
- Gorgolochos Kalos grim company
Female greek names
- Myrothalia Kokkinoudou perfume blooming
- Thalassothea Kalogerouli sea goddess
- Philocharis Kokkinidou loving grace
- Olympiomache Mavrelli olympian battle
- Myroboule Kaloudou perfume counsel
- Myrochara Kalogerianou perfume joy
- Protokrateia Karouli first power
- Hedycharis Zografouli pleasant grace
- Photogalene Stavri light calm
- Praxityche Nikoliou action fortune
- Stephanotherme Kokkinouli crown warmth
- Philokrateia Vasilatou loving power
- Protophone Kondi first voice
- Alkignome Papadopoulou strength judgement
- Rhododote Sideri rose given
- Hippokore Theodoridou horse maiden
- Onesiboule Karouli benefit counsel
- Phoibothalia Stavriou bright blooming
Questions
What are common Greek surnames?
Papadopoulos, Papadakis, Nikolaou, Georgiou, Vasileiou, Ioannou, Karagiannis, Makris and Oikonomou are among the most frequent. Most are patronymic or occupational: Papadopoulos is the priest's son, Georgiou is of George, Makris is the tall one, Oikonomou is the household steward, Karagiannis is black-haired John.
What does -opoulos mean at the end of a Greek name?
It means son of, and it comes from the Latin pullus, a young animal, borrowed into Greek as poulos. Papadopoulos is the son of the priest. The ending is concentrated in the Peloponnese, which is why it looks so typically Greek abroad, where Peloponnesian emigration was heaviest.
Why do Greek women's surnames end differently?
Because the surname is a genitive, meaning of that family. A man is Papadopoulos, and his wife or daughter is Papadopoulou, of the Papadopoulos house. Karagiannis pairs with Karagianni, Makris with Makri. The practice is standard in Greece, though Greeks abroad often keep the masculine form to match official documents.
What are ancient Greek names made of?
Two meaningful elements. A small stock of them recombines endlessly: nike victory, kleos glory, theos god, hippos horse, demos the people, kratos power, philos loving, stratos army, doron gift. Sokrates is safe power; Demosthenes is strength of the people; Aristoteles is best purpose. Children were often named for a grandparent, so the same compounds run down a family.
Are these real Greek names?
The elements are genuine and carry their standard meanings, and the endings follow the real gender rules. Many results are attested names such as Nikolaos, Theodoros and Kalliope. Others are new but well-formed compounds of the same kind the Greeks themselves coined, which is exactly how the stock of names kept growing.