Ancient Greek Names/Names In Ancient Greece

Ancient Greek names were based on social mores, culture, religion, language and political life of the times. Being one of the most ancient civilizations, Greek culture and history did much to shape western thought and philosophy. Common Greek names can be seen on tombstones, coins, seals, manuscripts, vases and stamps that have come up in archaeological finds over the ages.

Greek civilization in its true form existed till the 13th century and the surrounding regions of Europe were also influenced by the rich history and culture. Ancient Greek names depended on parents, language and dialects of different regions, the prevailing political life, ethnicity as well as the civic subdivision. Language of the Greeks in ancient times also differed according to regions and the practice of given names existed during the 13th century.

Parents, religion, ethnicity and language

Tracing the names of well known Greeks like Socrates and Aristotle were examples of given names. The use of the name of parents came much later as the first born took the name of the paternal grandfather. The second born among Greeks in ancient times got the name of the paternal grandmother. Identifying Greeks began with the inclusion of the parents name as the family to which he or she belonged could be easily identifiable.

With a high degree of mobility among Greeks, origin became imperative to identify the person as well as the organization of the city they belonged to. Simple baby names could be nouns or adjectives like Zotico which meant lively while Cressida was gold. Noun and adjectives were combined for compound baby names like Niko-Lysandra which meant the liberator. Demes meant people or organization while Nicodermus referred to victory.

Religion influenced ancient Greek names like Angelo, Deo and Ares while military victory denoted Kalonice, Nicole and several others. Christian names were used after the Roman Empire brought Christianity. Parents and ethnic traces were dropped and it was the trend after the fall of the Roman Empire, impacting ancient Greek names a great deal.

Information on: Kids, Mens, Womens names during ancient Greek period, Ancient Greek names

Ancient Greek Life History / Ancient Greece Facts for Kids

We owe a lot to Ancient Greek Civilization. History of ancient Greece is a fascinating. On this site, we have given information on various ancient Greek life aspects - Arts, Boys and Girls, Architecture, Dancing, Gods, Myths, Medicine, Inventions, Houses, Government, Religions, Wars, Politics, Weapons and ancient Greece Cities.