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What’s in a name? In cyprus – and Greece - the answer is a great deal.

Unlike the UK, where naming a new-born child may be the result of a whim or a fashion statement according to which pop star is in the ascendancy, in cyprus and Greece it is a serious business rooted in social conventions and family traditions which may go back hundreds of years. Whereas the legacy of Britney Spears and Kylie Minogue or even Prince Harry in decades to come may be many namesakes unrelated to them, in Greece and cyprus, different rules apply!

In Greece (especially Crete) and cyprus (which closely follows the conventions) name days are celebrated in a similar way to birthdays in other cultures. According to the Orthodox Church, every day of the year has been dedicated to the memory of a saint or a martyr from the Holy Bible and Holy Tradition. If someone is named after a saint, then there is a big celebration on his or her name day. Gifts are given, festive meals and desserts are prepared, and (in some parts of Greece) special preparations are made for an open house. Usually, name days are on the same date, every year; these are the non-floating name days. There are some floating name days based on the Orthodox holiday calendar that are on a different date each year.

Naming conventions in Greece and cyprus are still followed quite strictly, with the result that certain names are used for many individuals in a generation. In each generation, the eldest grandson in each family will be named after the grandfather, and the eldest granddaughter will be named after the grandmother. If someone had three children, and they all produce a male grandchild, all three of those cousins will have the same name. To top it all off, all those with the same first name will celebrate the same saint’s Name Day.

The endings of surnames change when used as surnames and differ when applied to men and women. On marriage a man does not change his name; a woman takes:
her husband’s personal name as her middle name; and generally, his father’s personal name as her surname. She could, unusually, use his grandfather’s personal name as her surname. If a man who is using his grandfather’s personal name as a surname marries, his wife sometimes has a different surname.

Many Greeks and Greek Cypriots permanently settled in the UK have adopted a static surname system, in which case the father’s personal name is included as the middle name.

In Greece, you get two birthdays. In Greece, everyone celebrates the “Name Day” of the saint that bears the same name. This usually has no relation to a person’s actual birthday except by coincidence.

Greek names reflect a long history. Because of the naming rules, in some cases the same names have been used in an unbroken line for hundreds of years in a single family, if not longer. Often, these names came into use because of a local association with a saint. For example, on the south coast of Crete, where St. Paul is said to have been shipwrecked nearly two thousand years ago, Pavlos is an extremely common name even among unrelated families. But in the rest of Greece, it’s not often encountered.

The complete celebration of Name Days includes a party. In past times, this was open to literally anyone passing on the street, but most parties these days are by invitation. Obviously, people of the same name will usually know where all the celebrations are. Small gifts are exchanged.

Since the Saint is also having a celebration, everyone will visit any local church named for that same saint, make an offering, and light a candle. The bigger churches will put on the larger festivals, often with free food and drink, but even the smallest of chapels will commemorate their saint’s special day in some way. Many of the little chapels you see in the fields or in remote locations will only be open once a year on the day of their saint. And if the village itself is named for the saint, travellers can count on a terrific party on that day.