Giorgos or Yiorgos standing for George in Greek, is a very common Greek male Name, found in all regions of mainland and islands.
According to statistics Giorgos is the most common male name in Greece, since approximately 16% of the male population bears this particular name.
Sound of name Giorgos: Yi-o-rgos.
The exact sound of name Giorgos in Greek cannot be explained easily, but despite the use of letter –g, the actual sound resembles more to the one of –y as in yellow.
Alternatively you will see the name written as “Yiorgos”.
Nameday of Name Giorgos: Opposite from other names, the nameday of Giorgos is mobile, and depends on the day of the Orthodox Easter.
In general, Giorgos or Georgios celebrates his nameday on April 23rd, but if Easter day is after April 23rd, then the nameday moves to the first day after Easter.
Female Version of Giorgos: Georgia
Origin of the name Giorgos
Etymology of name Giorgos reflects its historical value as well: Giorgos is the nickname that derives from the name Georgios (Γεώργιος), associated with “georgia” (γεωργία), which means agriculture in Greek. The word itself refers to the person who works with the land, as in Greek language “ge” (γη) is “earth” and “ergon” (έργο) is “work” or “labour”.
Although the name Giorgos or Georgios exists since the very early Christian years, it became more popular and common when the Orthodox Church recognized Georgios as a Saint of the Church (Saint George, Agios Georgios).
Saint George
Saint George (Agios Georgios – Αγιος Γεώργιος) was a Roman soldier that lived during the 3rd century.
He was from Palestine and was one of the believers of the new Christian religion, and suffered from the vast persecutions and tortures of the Emperor Diocletian, who was the biggest enemy of the new religion at that time.
Saint George appears on the orthodox icons as a young man on a horse fighting with a dragon; this legend was firstly depicted in medieval art and later was used by the Church in order to present his strength against the tortures.
George as a name was primarily used by Eastern Christians and especially the Greeks, although later during the Crusades the name became common in Portugal and England as well as in Spain, while it was rarely used by northern Europeans before the end of the 18th century.
Nicknames deriving from the name Giorgos
Giorgos is a very common name and it is not the only nickname that derives from the Greek name Georgios. Additional nicknames are: Giorgis or Yiorgis, Georgis, Gogos, Giorgakis, Giorgaros.
The Names’ Fairy reveals the meaning of the name Giorgos
Giorgos reflects personality of people who seek for spiritual and cultural wealth and are very prone to education and arts, due to their exploratory nature. However, these characteristics derive from urban and local legends and theories and are mostly used for fun and entertaining purposes among the Greeks.