Greece is a colorful country, the cultural cradle of Europe. Therefore, many Greek female names are associated with myths and legends, the names of goddesses.
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The history of the origin of Greek female names
The ancient Greeks cautiously approached the selection of names, because each of them has a special meaning and is often closely associated with ancient legends.
Before becoming a stronghold of Christianity, Greece was an empire with a powerful mythological history. It is with it that most of the names that have been preserved since antiquity are connected. Some of them were divided into feminine and masculine. This division has survived to this day: Alexander - Alexandra, Eugene - Eugene, but not always: you can no longer meet men by the name, for example, Helen. Some of the names were formed from the names of settlements. The name Larisa, popular in Russia, is also Greek, and is formed from the name of the Greek city of the same name, and women from Asia Minor were called Lydia.
Another large stratum of names of Greek origin appeared due to the spread of Christianity. This happened after the fifth century AD, when the eastern branch of religion came to Greece. After the ancient Roman empire collapsed, Byzantium appeared in its place, which became the center of Orthodoxy. Then the Greek names began to acquire Christian significance.
But even such an ancient and diverse culture was not without borrowing. In the twentieth century, fashion began on foreign names. Then the Greeks began to call children American and English names in their own way, for example, Robert became Roberto.
List of beautiful names for girls
Names that seem originally Slavic to us (for example, Alexei, Dmitry, Ksenia) also have Greek roots, which is not surprising, because in this country they called children very melodically. Therefore, such names later spread throughout the world.
From the variety of beautiful Greek names, you can choose the most pleasant for everyone:
- Aminta - “protector”;
- Ariadna - “pure”;
- Astreya - the "star";
- Dayona - the “goddess”;
- Dana - “burnt”;
- Dolphin - “come from Delphi”;
- Io is the “princess”;
- Calypso - "secretive";
- Kassandra - “attraction”;
- Xanthia - "yellow";
- Leda is a “woman”;
- Melanta - “a flower in the dark”;
- Neftis - the "lady";
- Sapphire - "azure";
- Sophia - “wise”;
- Thai - “prosperous”;
- Feydra - "bright";
- Eirin - “the world”;
- Electra is “radiant.”
Unfortunately, many beautiful Greek names have come down to us only in the form of historical monuments. It is rare to find a Greek woman named Cassiopeia, although hundreds of years ago the name was one of the most common.
Rare Greek Female Names
If parents, choosing a name for a newborn, settled on one of the rare female names with Greek roots, it is worth thinking carefully about its pronunciation. If the name is too “tricky”, a child who is named for him may have problems with peers who will “incline” him this way and that. It will not be superfluous to inquire about the meaning of the name, because the ancients claim that each of them leaves a certain imprint on the fate of man.
So, the best options are:
- Anfisa - "flower". Anfisa is gentle and beautiful, if desired, is able to attract many fans. But romantic games are not the central thing in Anfisa's life. She is courageous and courageous, and purposeful enough to achieve success without outside help.
- Demeter is the "mother." As a rule, Demeter is kind and generous, she has an active life position. At the same time, she is too serious in matters important to her. If something does not really matter to Demeter, she can change her opinion about it several times a day.
- Dana is "tender." Dana is self-confident, easily gaining the authority of those people who are of interest to her. Faithful and reliable, never breaks promises.
- John is “good.” John is energetic, strong in spirit. She is always ready to become a defender of the weak and reach out to those in need. She is equally gentle with loved ones and strict with outsiders.
- Lita is "independent." A girl from an early age is able to make informed decisions, as if peering into the future.
Thus, Greek qualities were often based on personal qualities rather than appearance.
Few names in Greece mean “beautiful,” for the ancient Greeks courage and creativity were much more important.
Modern names
Most of the names common in the territory of modern Greece, by origin are divided into the following groups:
- come to us from ancient Greece;
- and orthodox christian names.
Another part of the common names is borrowed, of Hebrew and Latin origin.
The most popular female names in Greece today:
- Maria is “fair”;
- Eleni, Elena - “the carrier of light”;
- Anastasia - “live”;
- Ekaterini, Catherine - "virgin pure";
- Vasiliki, Vasilisa - “regal”;
- Gospels, Gospels - “good news”;
- George - "land";
- Chloe is a “hunter”;
- Sophia - “wise”;
- John - “giving grace”;
- Demeter, Dimitra - "mother."
Greek names are popular far beyond Greece. Depending on the country, they vary slightly in sound, becoming more harmonious for local residents, but in general the name remains recognizable. Elena - a truly Greek name - is transformed into Helena, Helen, Helenika. And even the name Jane, at first glance native English, is actually a derivative of Eugenia. The name Alexander has overgrown with so many derivatives that it will take more than one line to list them.
Ancient and forgotten names
Despite the variety of traditional names, children in Greece are increasingly called Western European names that are easier to pronounce.
But special connoisseurs prefer ancient, almost forgotten names, often associated with the names of goddesses from ancient Greek myths:
- Galatea is the name of the Nereid from mythology;
- Harmony - “consent” - the beautiful daughter of the goddess Aphrodite;
- Hestia - “warmth” - the keeper of family happiness;
- Irida - "rainbow" - the messenger;
- Calypso - “glory” - a nymph;
- Clio - the "light-carrying" - the muse of history;
- Mirra - “fragrant” - a virgin from mythology, lying down with her own father and giving birth to Adonis;
- Nemesis - “rightly angry” - the goddess of retribution;
- Thalia - "blooming" - the goddess of comedy;
- Urania - “sky” - the muse of astronomy;
- Themis - “law” - the muse of justice and justice.
Unlike the female names of other peoples, the Greek do not sing only the beauty and grace of young virgins. In the interpretation of Greek names there is a place for strength, and for courage, and for justice. The reasons for this lie in ancient Greek civilization and its unique mythology, where not only the brave men, but also independent women.
