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

All Greek names

Very Popular

Alexander

al-eg-ZAN-der

Defender of the people

Greek7% rare
Very Rare

Ambrose

AM-brohz

Immortal

Greek79% rare
Rare

Atticus

AT-ih-kus

From Attica

Greek56% rare
Uncommon

Callie

KAL-ee

Beautiful

Greek51% rare
Very Rare

Calliope

kah-LY-oh-pee

Beautiful voice

Greek82% rare
Very Popular

Chloe

KLO-ee

Blooming, young green shoot

Greek13% rare
Popular

Christopher

KRIS-tuh-fer

Bearer of Christ

Greek16% rare
Popular

Cora

KOR-ah

Maiden

Greek24% rare
Very Rare

Cosmo

KOZ-moh

Order, beauty

Greek88% rare
Uncommon

Damian

DAY-mee-an

To tame or subdue

Greek37% rare
Uncommon

Daphne

DAF-nee

Laurel tree

Greek42% rare
Very Rare

Demi

deh-MEE

Half, or devoted to Demeter

Greek76% rare
Rare

Dimitri

duh-MEE-tree

Follower of Demeter

Greek72% rare
Rare

Dorian

DOR-ee-un

Of the Dorian people

Greek66% rare
Rare

Dorothy

DOR-uh-thee

Gift of God

Greek70% rare
Popular

Elena

eh-LAY-nah

Torch, shining light

Greek27% rare
Popular

Elias

ih-LY-us

My God is Yahweh

Greek27% rare
Very Rare

Eugene

yoo-JEEN

Well born, noble

Greek81% rare
Very Rare

Evander

ih-VAN-der

Good man

Greek77% rare
Uncommon

Evangeline

ee-VAN-jeh-leen

Bearer of good news

Greek40% rare
Popular

George

JORJ

Farmer, worker of the earth

Greek16% rare
Uncommon

Georgia

JOR-juh

Farmer, worker of the earth

Greek42% rare
Uncommon

Gregory

GREG-uh-ree

Watchful, vigilant

Greek43% rare
Uncommon

Hector

HEK-tor

Holding fast, steadfast defender

Greek53% rare
Rare

Helena

HEL-uh-nuh

Bright, shining light

Greek56% rare
Popular

Iris

EYE-riss

Rainbow, messenger of the gods

Greek29% rare
Rare

Isadora

iz-ah-DOR-ah

Gift of Isis

Greek65% rare
Popular

Katherine

KATH-rin

Pure

Greek28% rare
Popular

Lydia

LID-ee-uh

Woman from Lydia

Greek33% rare
Popular

Nicholas

NIK-uh-lus

Victory of the people

Greek22% rare
Rare

Ophelia

oh-FEE-lee-ah

Help, aid

Greek59% rare
Rare

Orion

oh-RY-un

Rising in the sky, hunter

Greek56% rare
Very Popular

Penelope

peh-NEL-oh-pee

Weaver

Greek12% rare
Uncommon

Peter

PEE-ter

Rock, stone

Greek38% rare
Very Rare

Petra

PET-rah

Rock, stone

Greek76% rare
Uncommon

Phoebe

FEE-bee

Bright, radiant

Greek36% rare
Very Popular

Sebastian

suh-BAS-chun

Venerable, revered

Greek10% rare
Very Popular

Sophia

so-FEE-ah

Wisdom

Greek5% rare
Uncommon

Stephen

STEE-vun

Crown, garland

Greek45% rare
Uncommon

Tessa

TESS-ah

Harvester; late summer

Greek43% rare
Uncommon

Thea

THEE-ah

Goddess, divine

Greek48% rare
Uncommon

Theo

THEE-oh

Divine, gift of God

Greek40% rare
Very Rare

Theodora

thee-oh-DOR-ah

Gift of God

Greek80% rare
Very Popular

Theodore

THEE-uh-dor

Gift of God

Greek9% rare
Very Rare

Yolanda

yoh-LAN-dah

Violet flower

Greek81% rare
Very Popular

Zoe

ZOH-ee

Life

Greek14% rare