Greek Baby Names

In Ancient Greece, girls were given a version of boys' names, with a feminine ending. Many Greek baby names were derived from gods and some were plain nouns or adjectives. Two middle names are commonly seen in Greece, one of which is a variation of the father’s name (patronymic) and the other is a second given name. Upon marriage, a woman may change her middle name from her patronymic name to a feminized version of her husband’s name. As Greek names can often be long, they are typically shortened when used on a familiar basis. The firstborn children of each gender are often named after their paternal grandparents. However, new trends include combining the names of family members or ancestors.