Greek names
54 names of Greek origin — 31 girls', 23 boys'.
About Greek names
This page collects every Greek first name in the NameRarity index — 54 in total, 31 given to girls and 23 given to boys. Each one carries its meaning, pronunciation, rarity score, numerology reading and the lucky number and colour traditionally attached to it.
Greek names in this collection average a rarity score of 52 out of 100. 19 of them score 70 or above, which puts them among the genuinely uncommon — Zephyrine is the rarest here at 98/100, meaning roughly one person in 833,333 carries it. At the other end, 19 are familiar enough to score below 40, with Sophia the most widely used. 37 appear in recent US top-1000 rankings.
They run from Zoe at 3 letters to Christopher at 11, so there is room to pick for sound and length as well as meaning. The qualities these names most often carry are warm, loyal, romantic and quick. Their strongest periods of use span 16 different eras.
Rarity here is a score out of 100 built from how often a name is actually recorded: a high score means few people share it, a low score means it is well established. Neither is better than the other — a rare name stands out in a classroom, a common one never needs spelling out. Open any name below for its full reading.
Choosing a Greek name
Say the name out loud before anything else. A name lives in speech far more than on paper, and the pronunciation guide on each page is there so you can hear it the way it is meant to sound rather than guessing from the spelling. Try it with the surname it will sit beside, and try the shortened form people will inevitably use — if the short form is one you would not choose yourself, that is worth knowing early.
Then look at the meaning. Greek names in this list carry meanings that range from the concrete to the poetic, and the meaning is usually the reason a family settles on one. Zephyrine means “West wind”, for instance, while Sophia means “Wisdom”. Two names can sound similar and mean entirely different things, so it is worth reading the entry rather than going on sound alone.
Finally, decide how much rarity you actually want. A score above 70 means the name will almost always be the only one in the room, which some people love and others find tiring to spell out for a lifetime. A score under 40 means it is familiar, easy to spell and easy to carry. Everything between is the middle ground most families end up choosing. Whichever way you lean, every entry below gives you the number so you are deciding with the figure in front of you rather than a hunch.
Rarest Greek names
Zephyrine
ZEF-uh-reen
West wind
Lysander
ly-SAN-der
Liberator, freer of men
Eulalia
yoo-LAY-lee-ah
Sweetly speaking, well-spoken
Kalliope
kuh-LY-uh-pee
Beautiful voice
Zephyr
ZEF-er
West wind, gentle breeze
Hermione
her-MY-uh-nee
Messenger, of Hermes
Nerissa
neh-RISS-ah
From the sea
Bryony
BRY-uh-nee
A climbing vine
All Greek names
Alexander
al-eg-ZAN-der
Defender of the people
Ambrose
AM-brohz
Immortal
Atticus
AT-ih-kus
From Attica
Callie
KAL-ee
Beautiful
Calliope
kah-LY-oh-pee
Beautiful voice
Chloe
KLO-ee
Blooming, young green shoot
Christopher
KRIS-tuh-fer
Bearer of Christ
Cora
KOR-ah
Maiden
Cosmo
KOZ-moh
Order, beauty
Damian
DAY-mee-an
To tame or subdue
Daphne
DAF-nee
Laurel tree
Demi
deh-MEE
Half, or devoted to Demeter
Dimitri
duh-MEE-tree
Follower of Demeter
Dorian
DOR-ee-un
Of the Dorian people
Dorothy
DOR-uh-thee
Gift of God
Elena
eh-LAY-nah
Torch, shining light
Elias
ih-LY-us
My God is Yahweh
Eugene
yoo-JEEN
Well born, noble
Evander
ih-VAN-der
Good man
Evangeline
ee-VAN-jeh-leen
Bearer of good news
George
JORJ
Farmer, worker of the earth
Georgia
JOR-juh
Farmer, worker of the earth
Gregory
GREG-uh-ree
Watchful, vigilant
Hector
HEK-tor
Holding fast, steadfast defender
Helena
HEL-uh-nuh
Bright, shining light
Iris
EYE-riss
Rainbow, messenger of the gods
Isadora
iz-ah-DOR-ah
Gift of Isis
Katherine
KATH-rin
Pure
Lydia
LID-ee-uh
Woman from Lydia
Nicholas
NIK-uh-lus
Victory of the people
Ophelia
oh-FEE-lee-ah
Help, aid
Orion
oh-RY-un
Rising in the sky, hunter
Penelope
peh-NEL-oh-pee
Weaver
Peter
PEE-ter
Rock, stone
Petra
PET-rah
Rock, stone
Phoebe
FEE-bee
Bright, radiant
Sebastian
suh-BAS-chun
Venerable, revered
Sophia
so-FEE-ah
Wisdom
Stephen
STEE-vun
Crown, garland
Tessa
TESS-ah
Harvester; late summer
Thea
THEE-ah
Goddess, divine
Theo
THEE-oh
Divine, gift of God
Theodora
thee-oh-DOR-ah
Gift of God
Theodore
THEE-uh-dor
Gift of God
Yolanda
yoh-LAN-dah
Violet flower
Zoe
ZOH-ee
Life