Pericles is a male Greek name whose origins are found in the ancient years.
Pericles is a compound word consisting of the words “peri”, which means about, and “kleos”, which means glory. Pericles is thus the man of glory.
The spelling Periklis is closer to the Greek version of this name (Περικλης).
Sound of name Pericles: Pe-ree-klees
Female version of name Pericles: N/A
Nameday of Pericles: April 10th
Origin of name Pericles – St Pericles and the 40 martyrs
Although name Pericles is associated with one of the most important politicians in ancient Greece and specifically in Athens, for the Greek Orthodox Church, name Pericles refers to a man , who according to the ecclesiastical books, was one of the 40 martyrs who were tortured to death along with St Maximus, Terentius and Africanus.
Although there is not enough information about the man the Greek Orthodox Church celebrates the memory and nameday of Pericles on April 10th.
Pericles of Athens
In Ancient Greece, Pericles was the man who associated his name with the Golden Era of Athens, the construction of the Parthenon and the greatest moments of democracy, philosophy and arts in Athens and Greece.
Pericles was a great rhetor and spokesman, and he had the ability to persuade the crowds. Unfortunately for him, his reputation and work were so important that the Spartans decided to attack Athens, seeing that the city with Pericles was gaining in strength and power and would soon become unsurpassable.
This is the main reason why the Peloponnesian war started that caused the death of thousands of men, especially when a plague hit Athens. Pericles also died because of the plague, leaving a void behind him.
Nicknames deriving from name Pericles
As with most ancient Greek names, Pericles does not have any nicknames or diminutives.
The Names’ Fairy reveals the meaning of name Pericles
Pericles is the man to do the job; he has perfect organizational abilities, he is reliable and very dependable. He is an imaginative and creative person, that is why it is difficult to have Pericles working behind an office- he usually needs something more challenging to do.