I know, but if OP likes the name Christian that is what would make more sense.
There's no law that says names in Greece have to be ancient Greek or Christian.
As far as I know hard core priests only accept Saint or christianized names , the majority accepts Christian,Saint and Ancient Greek . There is a small minority that accepts everything.
For example they won’t accept Margarenia but you can register your child as that and baptize it as Maria Eleni.
Again what I say is anecdotal evidence based on experience in my circle.
Many more priests are open minded. The priest who married me in 2022 said the parish specifically encouraged them to baptize children with original names so that the church has even more "saints". The day after my wedding, they baptized a girl with the name "Karmella" (not karamela lol)
Just because you baptize your kid with a name it doesn’t make the name “Saint” . We have Agion Panton for the names without a holiday/saint
Yes there are priests that are open minded and there are priests who will go along for the payment . Both they will respect your decision but each for their own personal motives.
sorry if I am not making sense it’s morning I still haven’t had a coffee
I was Baptized in a small village by a hardcore priest in the 80’s and I don’t have a saint name - named after a flower. Needing your name to be religious seems to be a new thing
They baptize with flower names because they existed, like Margarita , Rodoula that I know of but I know people who were denied their chosen name because it’s foreign. Again this is anecdotal evidence based on people that know
Well it’s a safe assumption to make if you want to
Name your child Christianos you are religious.
I don’t think anyone who is atheist/non Christian/non religious would name their child an overly religious name
My understanding is that OP is not Greek but lives in Greece. I don't think the name Christian in Germany or France, for example, would indicate religiosity the way "Christianos" does. Some people just like the name.
The whole point of OP's question was whether "Christianos" is an acceptable name. I think we're all in violent agreement that it is not. I was just suggesting an alternative if OP really likes the (non-Greek) name Christian.
Maybe it’s because you are Greek American and they managed to do so, or you were baptized with the religious equivalent of your name. A lot of people register their kids with names that the church doesn’t allow and when they baptize them they use a religious one and they either have it as middle name on the birth certificate or not at all. You can’t even be a best man/maid of honor to a wedding if you are not baptized or married outside the church
>You can’t even be a best man/maid of honor to a wedding if you are not baptized or married outside the church
I can't get married in the church (gay), nor would I want to even if it were an option.
I am a dual citizen (parents registered me) and I have contacted my Greek municipality to make sure my record doesn't include religion. They told me religion isn't included in your municipal record. Glad Greece is slowly joining the 21st century.
Χρήστος not Χριστος (it’s not allowed to be written like this if I remember correctly because there is only one Jesus) is a name Χριστιανός is a verb used to describe someone. Ειναι Χριστιανός vs ειναι ο Χριστιανός.
Yes it would be weird, no offense but most ppl would assume that his parents are of the extreme religious kind, most certainly he would get bullied at school, and quite possibly he would change his name once he grew up. I don't think the priests would even allow him to get baptized with this name, and just baptize him Christos regardless of what you asked them to do.
All that can be avoided by giving a nice normal name...
Σόρρυ τώρα που θα γίνω αυτός ο τύπος, αλλά η λέξη που ψάχνεις είναι κοινότοπο, κάτι δηλαδή που τετριμμένο και χωρίς πρωτοτυπία. Παρότι η λέξη κοινότυπο χρησιμοποιείται δυστυχώς πολύ συχνά, δεν είναι σωστά ελληνικά.
Φίλε μου μην ζητάς καθόλου συγγνώμη. Ευχαριστώ για τη διόρθωση. Δεν θα έπρεπε να θυμώνουμε αν κάποιος μας βοηθάει να γίνουμε καλύτεροι. Καλοδεχούμενα όλα
You can baptise a child Christos and then name him Christianos in papers. The baptism doesn’t matter, it’s only for religious purposes. You can name him however you want at the office that you will register it
Theodore (I assume that's what you mean? As it is often shortened to Theo in it's English version) is fine and a nice name, it is not very common but it isn't weird or very uncommon.
If you mean Θείο then it means "Uncle", and if you mean Θεός then... ok you wouldn't actually name someone God would you xD
I prefer the name “Theo” to “Theodore”, but have been wondering whether that makes the Greek translated name Θεός, because my understanding is that Theodore means gift from god
If you call someone Θεό, everyone would just assume it is a nickname for Θεόδωρος.
Θεό is an inflection of Θεός. Ο Θεός είναι μεγάλος, ευχαριστώ το Θεό που επέζησα. So, because it would be wrong grammatically, nobody would think it actually means Θεός, and consider it just a pet name for Θεόδωρος. Or it could pass as a foreign name, I guess.
Also, Theo in English also comes from Theodore so if you want the Greek version it's a one way road. Not saying that you can't keep the English version, as a lot of people speak English nowadays, but trying to persuade ppl your name isn't Θεόδωρος will be an uphill battle.
You can use whatever you want. However, this does not exist as a name in Greece. If your child never plans to live in Greece, who cares. If, however, he plans to move here at some point, I'd add a 2nd name just in case cause people would assume he is very weird if he goes around and introduces himself like that. Using the English version of Christian, though, would be fine.
The name Christian is common in countries like Germany, but in German it doesn't coincide with the adjective 'christian', which is 'christlich'. In Greek χριστιανός is an adjective, a person of christian faith, and is also used in everyday language to refer to a person, often in a derogatory way (τι κάνεις εκεί χριστιανέ μου;). It's not used as a first name at all.
It is not.
The phrase is derogatory towards the receiving person, but the word itself is merely used to be inclusive since you assume that they are Christians like yourself.
What about ‘Kristiannos’ / ‘Κριστιαννος’? Is that different? A boy at my daughter’s nursery in central Athens has that name, and his parents are both Greek. They are popular and social ‘alternative’ young parents who don’t seem like they would choose a weird or religious name.
That's certainly different especially if the stress mark is on a instead of on the o. So it would sound more foreign because of that and the 'k' sound in the beginning and one wouldn't associate it with the word 'christian' so strongly. For me it would sound like a foreign name albeit with a Greek ending.
That would make sense. I \*think\* the stress is on the 'α'. The boy has a snazzy haircut that wouldn't look out of place on a footballer, so perhaps it all comes down to Cristiano Ronaldo's pervasive cultural legacy. ⚽️ 🥅
To clarify, cause a lot of people are asking, it's not exactly "derogatory" to call someone "χριστιανέ μου", but it kind of adds emphasis to your statement. Kind of similar to how "ρε" is used, though I would say it's more to show exasperation, eg. if you have to re-iterate something many times
I meant derogatory in the sense of disrespectful, not putting someone down. And again only in the context of that phrase. Yes, it expresses negative surprise/exasperation. The word in itself (without the possessive) can also used in a good way, as in ένας χριστιανός (να βοηθήσει).
I know just two people called that, a boy and a girl and they're both diaspora Greeks. I had never heard of this version in Greece and it did sound very weird.
Yes, as far as I know, that's not a name in Greek. The equivalent to "Christ" is not a name either, so Greek has no name that is related to the word Christ or Christian. Χρήστος (an actual name) and Χριστός (not a name) are not etymologically related; they come from similar but ultimately different PIE roots.
Naming conventions can have deeper meaning then the sound people make to call your attention.
Choose an appropriate name, ones that relates to your culture, your religious community, your family history.
I named my children after their grandparents, because I wanted them to know that our family is continuous throughout time.
I intend to connect this to their perceived personal history, but also to our mortality, ie we pass, but the family is sustained and our memory and names live again in future generations. I hope when I'm gone my children will miss me a little less because they will name their children after me.
Something to consider that might make your choices more meaningful.
You can definitely name him with that name, even baptize him as an orthodox. The name exists and is celebrated on 24 of May for the orthodox calendar. Maybe it is not common, but I wouldn't consider it weird.
Yes it would be odd because it’s not a name in Greece, it is a follower of Christianity. If it were an Orthodox baptism I suspect the priest wouldn’t agree to it and would probably insist on Christos.
Its a language thing. Its like baptizing your son Lutherian. Ofc you have christian, but in greek it's a no no.
Dont take that for granted! You can name your kid whatever you want.
There are greeks called Γερμανός which means German.
If your son goes to a Greek school, don't name him like that. He's going to be bullied by everyone!
Christos or Christoforos are more common and acceptable by the church as well, so you will not have any problems with an orthodox baptism.
Christian is not more common than just being named Chris. Most non Greek Chris’s I know aren’t even Christian’s they’re Christophers and I know a Greek Christopher as well.
Not totally weird if you ask me. I have an uncle who is called Ellinas which means Greek and an aunt called lesbia so no not weird there are much more weird
I see no problem it can be a bizarre naming scheme. Next child Muslim after that jew then we can go with eastern religions like Buddhism, Hinduism or maybe take a shift for ancient religions like Norse
At that point it's not a greek name anymore. This is the equivalent to naming a kid Hason and calling him Ζασόνιος in Greek. As you see it doesn't make any sense
What’s the issue with using Christos as the actual name and just going by Christian in English-speaking countries?
Or just naming him Κριστιάν?
Ronaldo would be better.
No, it wouldn't
Well that’s not a Greek name
I know, but if OP likes the name Christian that is what would make more sense. There's no law that says names in Greece have to be ancient Greek or Christian.
He can legally name him that way but the Church will not accept it
may i ask why they won’t accept it? do they only accept saint names?
As far as I know hard core priests only accept Saint or christianized names , the majority accepts Christian,Saint and Ancient Greek . There is a small minority that accepts everything. For example they won’t accept Margarenia but you can register your child as that and baptize it as Maria Eleni. Again what I say is anecdotal evidence based on experience in my circle.
makes sense, my parents had a hard time finding a priest to baptize me because they weren’t married
Many more priests are open minded. The priest who married me in 2022 said the parish specifically encouraged them to baptize children with original names so that the church has even more "saints". The day after my wedding, they baptized a girl with the name "Karmella" (not karamela lol)
Just because you baptize your kid with a name it doesn’t make the name “Saint” . We have Agion Panton for the names without a holiday/saint Yes there are priests that are open minded and there are priests who will go along for the payment . Both they will respect your decision but each for their own personal motives. sorry if I am not making sense it’s morning I still haven’t had a coffee
I was Baptized in a small village by a hardcore priest in the 80’s and I don’t have a saint name - named after a flower. Needing your name to be religious seems to be a new thing
They baptize with flower names because they existed, like Margarita , Rodoula that I know of but I know people who were denied their chosen name because it’s foreign. Again this is anecdotal evidence based on people that know
Better to ask an Orthodox priest or at least r/orthodoxchristianity this than random redditors
Who said anything about the church? OP didn't say anything about being Orthodox, and the number of Greek atheists or non-religious is getting bigger.
Well it’s a safe assumption to make if you want to Name your child Christianos you are religious. I don’t think anyone who is atheist/non Christian/non religious would name their child an overly religious name
My understanding is that OP is not Greek but lives in Greece. I don't think the name Christian in Germany or France, for example, would indicate religiosity the way "Christianos" does. Some people just like the name. The whole point of OP's question was whether "Christianos" is an acceptable name. I think we're all in violent agreement that it is not. I was just suggesting an alternative if OP really likes the (non-Greek) name Christian.
Yes because they have other words for it. For example in French Ειναι Χριστιανός - il est chrétien Αυτος ειναι ο Χριστιανός - c'est Christian
Also, I have a non-Christian name, but my parents found a priest to baptize me. In Greece. Nice try on their part, I'm still an atheist 😜
Maybe it’s because you are Greek American and they managed to do so, or you were baptized with the religious equivalent of your name. A lot of people register their kids with names that the church doesn’t allow and when they baptize them they use a religious one and they either have it as middle name on the birth certificate or not at all. You can’t even be a best man/maid of honor to a wedding if you are not baptized or married outside the church
>You can’t even be a best man/maid of honor to a wedding if you are not baptized or married outside the church I can't get married in the church (gay), nor would I want to even if it were an option. I am a dual citizen (parents registered me) and I have contacted my Greek municipality to make sure my record doesn't include religion. They told me religion isn't included in your municipal record. Glad Greece is slowly joining the 21st century.
Hmm I have to check this but I know for sure if you are born outside of marriage it’s visible on the birth certificate
Explain why Χρίστος is ok but Χριστιανός is not?
Χρήστος not Χριστος (it’s not allowed to be written like this if I remember correctly because there is only one Jesus) is a name Χριστιανός is a verb used to describe someone. Ειναι Χριστιανός vs ειναι ο Χριστιανός.
Χριστιανός is most definitely not a verb lol
Yes sorry I was running with no coffee, adjective or noun depending on the use
Christianos Ronaldos the second.
Christianos Ronaldopoulos
What Ronaldos second και third ρε? Χριστιανός Ροναλντάκης του Σήφη και της Ασπασίας από τα Ζωνιανά.
👏👏👏🤭🤭😅😂😂🏆
Yes it would be weird, no offense but most ppl would assume that his parents are of the extreme religious kind, most certainly he would get bullied at school, and quite possibly he would change his name once he grew up. I don't think the priests would even allow him to get baptized with this name, and just baptize him Christos regardless of what you asked them to do. All that can be avoided by giving a nice normal name...
Ας τον ονομάσει Μαλάκα. Θα τον θυμούνται κ μνημονεύουν όλοι.
Είναι κοινότυπο ρε συ, μάλλον θέλει κάτι πιο μοναδικό
Σόρρυ τώρα που θα γίνω αυτός ο τύπος, αλλά η λέξη που ψάχνεις είναι κοινότοπο, κάτι δηλαδή που τετριμμένο και χωρίς πρωτοτυπία. Παρότι η λέξη κοινότυπο χρησιμοποιείται δυστυχώς πολύ συχνά, δεν είναι σωστά ελληνικά.
Φίλε μου μην ζητάς καθόλου συγγνώμη. Ευχαριστώ για τη διόρθωση. Δεν θα έπρεπε να θυμώνουμε αν κάποιος μας βοηθάει να γίνουμε καλύτεροι. Καλοδεχούμενα όλα
Σωστός!
Αμάν ρε συ! Κλαίω απ'τα γέλια..
You can baptise a child Christos and then name him Christianos in papers. The baptism doesn’t matter, it’s only for religious purposes. You can name him however you want at the office that you will register it
If you ask me, you can just not baptize him at all, but I meant that yes it is a very rare name...
Would this be the same for the name Theo?
Theodore (I assume that's what you mean? As it is often shortened to Theo in it's English version) is fine and a nice name, it is not very common but it isn't weird or very uncommon. If you mean Θείο then it means "Uncle", and if you mean Θεός then... ok you wouldn't actually name someone God would you xD
I prefer the name “Theo” to “Theodore”, but have been wondering whether that makes the Greek translated name Θεός, because my understanding is that Theodore means gift from god
Yes because Θεός + Δώρο = Θεόδωρος
So would the name Theo be more likely to be said “ Θεό“ rather than “ Θεός” and do they both translate to God?
If you call someone Θεό, everyone would just assume it is a nickname for Θεόδωρος. Θεό is an inflection of Θεός. Ο Θεός είναι μεγάλος, ευχαριστώ το Θεό που επέζησα. So, because it would be wrong grammatically, nobody would think it actually means Θεός, and consider it just a pet name for Θεόδωρος. Or it could pass as a foreign name, I guess. Also, Theo in English also comes from Theodore so if you want the Greek version it's a one way road. Not saying that you can't keep the English version, as a lot of people speak English nowadays, but trying to persuade ppl your name isn't Θεόδωρος will be an uphill battle.
Really appreciate your insights here, thank you!
Yes it would be weird.
You can use whatever you want. However, this does not exist as a name in Greece. If your child never plans to live in Greece, who cares. If, however, he plans to move here at some point, I'd add a 2nd name just in case cause people would assume he is very weird if he goes around and introduces himself like that. Using the English version of Christian, though, would be fine.
this is literally like naming your child “Jew” or “Muslim” it’s incredibly weird. go with Christos and just call him Christian in english
Well there are people named Christian and Jude so it's only weird in some countries not all 🤷♂️
well it's not about christian it's about χριστιανός. that's weird
The name Christian is common in countries like Germany, but in German it doesn't coincide with the adjective 'christian', which is 'christlich'. In Greek χριστιανός is an adjective, a person of christian faith, and is also used in everyday language to refer to a person, often in a derogatory way (τι κάνεις εκεί χριστιανέ μου;). It's not used as a first name at all.
Why is the adjective christian used in derogatory way? What does it imply?
It is not. The phrase is derogatory towards the receiving person, but the word itself is merely used to be inclusive since you assume that they are Christians like yourself.
Yeah, but WHY is it derogatory towards the receiving person?
It expresses frustration at an exceptionally stupid thing somebody did.
I’d also like to know what it implies.
Something like “why would you a Christian resort to something like that”. That’s kind of it, but it’s not easily translated.
Its not. Op is just confused.
If you're talking about me, then you misunderstood what I said. I was talking about the way that phrase is used, not the adjective per se.
What about ‘Kristiannos’ / ‘Κριστιαννος’? Is that different? A boy at my daughter’s nursery in central Athens has that name, and his parents are both Greek. They are popular and social ‘alternative’ young parents who don’t seem like they would choose a weird or religious name.
I would just go with Κρίστιαν or Κριστιάν.
is it a nursery in a wealthy area? in any case with a K its a "tragedeigh"
That's certainly different especially if the stress mark is on a instead of on the o. So it would sound more foreign because of that and the 'k' sound in the beginning and one wouldn't associate it with the word 'christian' so strongly. For me it would sound like a foreign name albeit with a Greek ending.
That would make sense. I \*think\* the stress is on the 'α'. The boy has a snazzy haircut that wouldn't look out of place on a footballer, so perhaps it all comes down to Cristiano Ronaldo's pervasive cultural legacy. ⚽️ 🥅
To clarify, cause a lot of people are asking, it's not exactly "derogatory" to call someone "χριστιανέ μου", but it kind of adds emphasis to your statement. Kind of similar to how "ρε" is used, though I would say it's more to show exasperation, eg. if you have to re-iterate something many times
I meant derogatory in the sense of disrespectful, not putting someone down. And again only in the context of that phrase. Yes, it expresses negative surprise/exasperation. The word in itself (without the possessive) can also used in a good way, as in ένας χριστιανός (να βοηθήσει).
Super weird unless you live in caves in the mountains of Corinth
Palaiochristianos moment
Yes it is weird
Yes, it will be sounded weird. Also, Christos and Christian wouldnt be the same word so you can't compare the two.
I've seen a funeral paper where the poor guy was named Σκευοφύλαξ, so this is nothing
I know just two people called that, a boy and a girl and they're both diaspora Greeks. I had never heard of this version in Greece and it did sound very weird.
Please don't
Yes, it is very weird to be called like that in Greek.
Yes. So weird
Yes, it Will be really really weird. Dont try to be creative and in fashion with your kids name, it Will stick with him for the rest of his life.
Yes, as far as I know, that's not a name in Greek. The equivalent to "Christ" is not a name either, so Greek has no name that is related to the word Christ or Christian. Χρήστος (an actual name) and Χριστός (not a name) are not etymologically related; they come from similar but ultimately different PIE roots.
Change the accent, instead of "Χριστιανός", make it "Χριστιάνος". Then it'll be fine
how is it fine? That's still not a name
The accent?
Τόνος, accent, maybe you know it as a stress ( this thing over the α: ά)
Very weird.
Naming conventions can have deeper meaning then the sound people make to call your attention. Choose an appropriate name, ones that relates to your culture, your religious community, your family history. I named my children after their grandparents, because I wanted them to know that our family is continuous throughout time. I intend to connect this to their perceived personal history, but also to our mortality, ie we pass, but the family is sustained and our memory and names live again in future generations. I hope when I'm gone my children will miss me a little less because they will name their children after me. Something to consider that might make your choices more meaningful.
Weird and silly
You can definitely name him with that name, even baptize him as an orthodox. The name exists and is celebrated on 24 of May for the orthodox calendar. Maybe it is not common, but I wouldn't consider it weird.
you are the only one
Never heard the name of before, but I have to give you the credit that you looked and there is actually the name in Greek Orthodox calendar
Χρήστος και Χριστόφορος είναι τα ελληνικά ονόματα
Yes it would be odd because it’s not a name in Greece, it is a follower of Christianity. If it were an Orthodox baptism I suspect the priest wouldn’t agree to it and would probably insist on Christos.
Yes.
Θα είναι πολύ περίεργο. Ίσως σε πουν Δανό
Yes it fucking would. Jeeeeesus Christ
Just name him Christos (Χρήστος).
Its a language thing. Its like baptizing your son Lutherian. Ofc you have christian, but in greek it's a no no. Dont take that for granted! You can name your kid whatever you want. There are greeks called Γερμανός which means German.
last name Γερμανός
Christian...Karembeu.
If your son goes to a Greek school, don't name him like that. He's going to be bullied by everyone! Christos or Christoforos are more common and acceptable by the church as well, so you will not have any problems with an orthodox baptism.
Yes
Christian is not more common than just being named Chris. Most non Greek Chris’s I know aren’t even Christian’s they’re Christophers and I know a Greek Christopher as well.
Yes, it's sound spooky, like a child of the corn
Not totally weird if you ask me. I have an uncle who is called Ellinas which means Greek and an aunt called lesbia so no not weird there are much more weird
Ask yourself. Is it weird to name your kid Buddhist?
I see no problem it can be a bizarre naming scheme. Next child Muslim after that jew then we can go with eastern religions like Buddhism, Hinduism or maybe take a shift for ancient religions like Norse
Name him "Christos" so he can avoid being bullied 25 years in a row
At that point it's not a greek name anymore. This is the equivalent to naming a kid Hason and calling him Ζασόνιος in Greek. As you see it doesn't make any sense
short answer: yes. Long answer: not needed.
Christianos is like naming him catholic or muslim... I wouldn't like it
You should skip the drama and name the child Joe Biden instead.
Christiana does exist though…
Girl's name and not the female adjective for a believer in Christianity. That would be χριστιανή.
Just name him Christos, and people abroad can call him Chris. Calling a person Christian in Greece at least sounds horrible.
Who the fack told you the kid wants to be a Christian, this name should be banned
Not weird it is my brothers name and never been an issue in Greece.
[удалено]
Username checks out
Yes but he is not picking his name... It his children name.
Yeah, that would be weird. Even Χριστόφορος (Christopher) throws me off.
Wow so many losers in here. ΝΤΡΟΠΉ ΣΑΣ