The Name Game

"What's in a name?" you may ask.  Well, around these parts, apparently a lot.  

I already told y'all how we came up with Baby Maria's name.  Today, I thought I would share a bit more about how the whole name game is different here in Greece.

First of all, can you imagine that not one Greek person, and I mean not a one, has actually asked me the baby's name?  And they won't for at least several months if not a year or two!!!!  That is because babies here are not named as infants.  Rather, all boys are "bebe" and all girls are "beba."  As in, that is actually their name and absolutely all that they are called.  "Where is beba's blanket?"  "Has beba had her nap?"  Greeks think the whole idea of calling a small baby by a name is very strange.

That is because babies here do not actually get their name until their baptism.  The really old, traditional way is that it is not the parents that pick the name, but the godparent (who plays a very large role in a person's life here.)  That tradition, although occasionally still practiced, has actually fallen by the wayside, and parents name their own babies these days.  Up until the actual baptism, though, which can be a couple of years into a baby's life (although more often at several months to a year) the baby's name can remain totally undecided.  And they are simply called "baby."

In case you are wondering, Maria is named Maria, and she will be called Maria (and already has been for months) from her very first day.

Also, Greeks do not traditionally have middle names.  Rather, their father's name is a real part of their name.  For example, Christos, whose full name is actually Christodoulos, is Christodoulos Vasilakis toy Nikolaou.  That literally means Christos Vasilakis of Nikolaos (his father.)  This is also written as Christodoulos Nikolaou Vasilakis on many papers.  Throughout your entire adult life, your parents names are listed on absolutely everything you do.  Any paper or form that you fill out will ask for both parents' full names, including your mother's maiden name. In fact, yesterday I joined a new DVD rental place, and they asked me my father's first name. 

Because I have a first and middle name, they are always written together, as if my first name is Haley Danese.  Often, they hyphenate it.  On papers, there is no space for a middle name.  As it is a part of my official name, I guess they have to make it go somewhere. 

When I have told some Greeks (not because they asked) Maria's full name, they have asked me what I have that name in the middle for.  Ha!  I do not care.  She is half American anyway.  We can do what we want.

I am curious to see how Maria's "double" name is handled on the birth documents, especially since she really does not even have a name yet by Greek standards.  Actually, I am wondering if they will have a place for her name at all.

As I mentioned earlier, babies are traditionally named after a grandparent.  While people do not always follow the traditional first child named after father's parent, next after other parent, on throughout the parents, babies are pretty much always named after a family member.  You rarely hear of a name coming from a non-family member and you never hear of an original name.  This makes for many many people (just about all) with the same names.  There are basically a handful of names that usually abound in a certain area.  For example, if you are a girl, it is safe to say that your name could easily be Maria, Katerina, Eleni, or Konstantina.  For men, you hear a lot of Yorgos (George), Kostas, Mixalis, and Spiros.  Of course there are others, also common, but these are the ones that you hear the most around here.


Also, many names have a male/ female counterpart, so there rarely an excuse not to name a baby after a family member based on the gender.  For example, Spiradoula and Spiros, Konstantina and Konstantinos (Kostas), Nikoletta and Nikolaos (Nikos), and on and on.  The popularity of a name also has to do with the patron saints of the area; here in Corfu, because Saint Spiridon is our patron saint, you could call out "Spiros" in a crowded place and a easily a quarter of the male heads would turn. 

Not only are the same first names repeated again and again, last names are also repeated, especially within certain areas.  In fact, most Greeks can tell from what area of Greece/ what village in that area you come from based on your last name alone.  Because so many people have the same names, each family has a "nickname" which is used to identify them within the village, sort their mail, etc.  These usually have something to do with an ancestor and what they did or were known for.  Our family nickname can be loosely translated to "bottles."  Christos says his best guess is because they were known to make lots of wine, which goes into bottles.  Others can be translated to such things as "onion," "cat," "gun," hood," and "really drunk."


Another thing about the names.  In case you may have noticed, when I write Christos' name, his last name is Vasilakis.  Mine and Maria's are Vasilaki.  Because we are female, we drop the "s" at the end of our last name.  Most all Greek first, and last, names end in a vowel and then an "s" for the male.  There are many rules about that as well.  For the male first name, it can get complicated, but, in general, if you are talking about them, you use the "s" ("I saw Christos, Kostas, and Makis yesterday") but, if you are speaking to them, you drop the "s" ("Good to see you Yorgo, Spiro, and Stomati.")  As I mentioned, you do not really hear non-Greek names here, but, occasionally a expat lady married to a Greek will want a non-Greek name.  The whole not-ending-in-a-vowel-then-s can throw people around here for a loop, because they will still want to drop the final consonant. For example, they would want to call a boy named "Ryan" by the name of "Rya" or "Jonathan" by "Jonatha." 


Also, Greeks celebrate "name days" as a much bigger deal than birthdays.  So, everyone with the name Vasilis (William in English) and Vasiliki (the female version) share the name day January 1, just as everyone with the name Yiannis (John in English) and Yianna (the female version) celebrate their name day on January 7.  Some of these days are actually national holidays.

Maria's name day will be August 15.  This is also Virgin Mary (Maria) Day and is a huge holiday.  In fact, it's one of the largest holidays in Greece after Easter and Christmas. 

On someone's name day, it is common not just to wish the actual person "Xronia Polla" (meaning "many years"...the traditional Greek greeting on days of celebration) but also to wish their mother, father, husband, wife, etc. "xronia polla" on their behalf as well. 

So, that is your cultural lesson for today.  Consider yourself a more educated member of the human race, or at least a little more prepared for random cocktail conversation....or your next trip to Greece!