A 5th-century BC ostracon showing Ancient Greek naming customs, where a man has been identified by his first name Aristides, followed by his father’s name, Lysimachos. Credit: Giovanni Dall’Orto /Wikimedia Commons/Attribution – Free to useAlthough you may know a fair bit about Greek naming customs as they are practiced today, there is a long history of naming traditions which goes all the way back to Ancient Greece.
Over time, some new naming conventions have developed — but in many ways a person naming a Greek child today has a lot in common with those living thousands of years ago.
Ancient Greek naming customs
In ancient times, people were generally only given one name. However, in formal situations where more specificity was necessary, the fathers’ first name would be added as a descriptor to serve the same function as a surname would today.
When an individual traveled or settled outside of where they were born, sometimes their place of birth would be used to identify them as well — an example of this would be “Aristotle of Stagira.”
However, women would often simply be referred to as “Wife of …” or “Daughter of …”, as it was considered more polite. When their first names were used, which was usually in formal contexts such as on gravestones, they would be identified using their first name and then their relationship to a man, as usual.
