Ancient Greeks generally had a single name, often qualified with a patronymic, a clan or tribe, or a place of origin.
[3] During the Ottoman period, surnames with Turkish prefixes such as "Hatzi-", "Kara-" and suffixes such as "-(i)lis", "-tzis", and "-oglou" became common, especially among Anatolian Greeks.
It is also possible that family names were simply not recorded because Ottoman administrative practice preferred patronymics, and did not require surnames.
[5] Family names may be patronymic in origin or else based on occupation, location, or personal characteristic.
For example, Takis may be short for Kostakis or Panagiotakis, themselves derived from Konstantinos and Panagiotis.
There is a strong clustering of first names by locality according to patron saints, famous churches, or monasteries.
Examples: When Greek names are used in other languages, they are sometimes rendered phonetically, such as Eleni for Ἑλένη, and sometimes by their equivalents, like Helen in English or Hélène in French.
In the United States, there are also conventional anglicizations based on phonetic similarity rather than etymology, for example James or Jimmy for Δημήτρης/Dimitris (nickname Ντίμης/Dimis, Ντέμης/Demis hence Jimmy), despite the English name James and its diminutive Jimmy actually coming from Greek Ἰάκωβος Iakobos, English Jacob (through Vulgar Latin Iacomus from Latin Iacobus, which is the Latinized form of Ἰάκωβος Iakobos in the Vulgate and originally the Greek New Testament).
If it is heard as two names it celebrates: the Virgin Mary (August 15) and Saint John the Baptist (January 7.)
If heard as two names it celebrates: Virgin Mary (August 15th) and Saint Anna (December 9th or July 25th.)
Greek family names are most commonly patronymics but may also be based on occupation, personal characteristics or location.
The feminine version is usually the genitive of the family name of the woman's father or husband; so, for example, Mr. Yannatos and Mrs. Yannatou.
If she is widowed, she will revert to her father's patronymic but retain her husband's surname to become María Ioánnou Demetriádou.
This largely obsolete styling practice is not reflected in official documents or the spoken language, but could be utilized by, e.g., authors or anyone who uses his/her name for business purposes.
The foremost-and compulsory-identification document in Greece, the Greek identity card, includes name information as follows: Out of the six fields, only the first three are transliterated in English per ELOT 743/ISO 843.
The Cypriot identity card also includes father's and mother's name and surname in Greek and English; however all fields are transliterated.