George (given name) explained

George
Pronunciation:English:
Gender:Male
Meaning:farmer
Region:Ancient Greece
Name Day:April 23
Nickname:Geo, Geordie
Related Names:Georges, Georgios, Georgius, Gheorghe, Giorgio, Göran, Geevarghese/Varghese, Gjergj György, Jerzy, Jorge, Joris, Jörg, Jörgen, Jørgen, Jørn, Jüri, Jurgis, Jurģis, Jürgen, Jurij, Juris, Örjan, Ørjan, Sjors, Yegor, Yrjö, Jyrki, Jyri, Yuri/Yury, Uri/Ori, Đorđe, Đurađ, Jiří

George is a masculine given name derived from the Greek Georgios (Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: Γεώργιος|italic=; pronounced as /grc/, pronounced as /el/).[1] [2] [3] The name gained popularity due to its association with the Christian martyr, Saint George (died 23 April 303), a member of the Praetorian Guard who was sentenced to death for his refusal to renounce Christianity, and prior to that, it might have been a theophoric name, with origins in Zeus Georgos, an early title of the Greek god Zeus.[4] [5] Today, it is one of the most commonly used names in the Western world, though its religious significance has waned among modern populations. Its diminutives are Geordie and Georgie, with the former being limited primarily to residents of England and Scotland. The most popular feminine forms in the Anglosphere are Georgia, Georgiana, and Georgina.

History

Etymology and origins

Its original Greek form, Georgios, is based on the Greek word georgos (γεωργός), 'farmer'. The word georgos itself is ultimately a combination of two Greek words: ge (γῆ), 'earth, soil' and ergon (ἔργον), 'work'. Aelius Herodianus (fl. 2nd century AD), a Roman-era Greek grammarian and writer, determined Georgios to be a theophoric name, or a name created to honor a deity, a nod to Zeus Georgos, or "Zeus the Farmer" in English. In the early stages of Greek mythology, before Zeus took on a major role in the Greek pantheon as ruler of all the gods and goddesses, he was sacrificed to as an agricultural god, a patron of crops and harvests.[6] The name took on religious significance to followers of Early Christianity in 303 with the supposed martyrdom of Georgios, a Roman soldier of Greek heritage. While the story's historical accuracy is subject to debate, his character took on real importance to the Christian Church, with Georgios and its variants being used as baptismal names and by religious officials and Christian monarchs, though it did not become common among the laity until after the Middle Ages.

Forms

In other languages

Feminine forms

People with the given name

Late antiquity to early medieval

See also: King George (disambiguation) and Prince George (disambiguation).

High to late medieval

Renaissance to modern

See:

Fictional characters

See also

Notes and References

  1. https://www.lgpn.ox.ac.uk/announcements/GreekNamesinEnglish.html Greek Names in English
  2. Web site: Meaning, origin and history of the name George. Campbell. Mike. Behind the Name. August 1, 2019.
  3. https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0057%3Aentry%3Dgewrgo%2Fs γεωργ-ός
  4. Jan N. Bremmer, Andrew Erskine, The Gods of Ancient Greece: Identities and Transformations, p. 104, Edinburgh University Press, 2010
  5. Michael York,Pagan Theology: Paganism As A World Religion, p. 132, NYU Press, 2005
  6. J.F. Boissonade, Herodiani partitiones (= Ἐπιμερισμοί, e codd. Paris. 2543 + 2570). London, 1819 (repr. Amsterdam: Hakkert, 1963), 172.Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: Τὰ διὰ τοῦ ''ιος'' προπαροξύτονα ὀνόματα, κύριά τε καὶ ἐπίθετα, καὶ ἀπὸ τόπου λαμβανόμενα, διὰ τοῦ ἰῶτα γράφονται· κύρια μέν· οἷον· Γεώργιος· Δημήτριος· Ἀμμώνιος· ἐπίθετα δέ· οἷον· ''ἅγιος· κύριος· ὅσιος· λόγιος· ἄξιος''· καὶ τὰ λοιπά· ἀπὸ τόπου δὲ λαμβανόμενα· οἷον· ''Ῥόδιος· Κύπριος· Βυζάντιος''· καὶ τὰ ὅμοια.|italic=unset
  7. Web site: NVB - verklaring voornaam Jorien.

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