Education
A Complete List of Greek Last Names & Meanings
Greek surnames often reflect ancient traditions, occupations, patronymics, or places of origin. Here’s an expanded list of Greek last names with their meanings:
- Alexopoulos: Son of Alexis (defender)
- Anastasiou: Son of Anastasios (resurrection)
- Andreou: Son of Andreas (manly)
- Angelopoulos: Son of Angelos (messenger, angel)
- Antoniou: Son of Antonios (priceless)
- Christodoulopoulos: Son of Christ’s servant
- Demetriou: Son of Demetrios (follower of Demeter)
- Economou: Steward or manager
- Georgiou: Son of George (farmer)
- Ioannou: Son of Ioannis (John)
- Karagiannis: Black John
- Konstantinidis: Son of Constantine (constant)
- Kyriakidis: Son of Kyriakos (of the Lord)
- Makris: Tall one
- Michalopoulos: Son of Michael (who is like God?)
- Nikolaidis: Son of Nicholas (victory of the people)
- Papadakis: Little priest
- Papadopoulos: Son of a priest
- Pappas: Priest
- Petridis: Son of Peter (rock)
- Sideris: Iron worker
- Stavropoulos: Son of Stavros (cross)
- Theodoropoulos: Son of Theodore (God’s gift)
- Triandafyllidis: Rose
- Vasiliadis: Son of Basil (royal)
- Vlahos: Vlach (referring to Romanian ancestry)
- Yannakakis: Little John
- Zafeiropoulos: Son of Zafeiros (sapphire)
Greek surnames often have specific endings that can provide additional information:
- “-opoulos” or “-opoulos”: Means “son of” or “descendant of”
- “-akis”: A diminutive suffix, often used in Cretan names
- “-ides” or “-ades”: Means “son of” or “descendant of”
- “-ou”: Indicates “of” or “from”
Understanding these patterns can help in tracing Greek family lineages and understanding the rich cultural heritage behind Greek surnames.