Greek names

Greek names form one of the largest origin groups in the Australian baby-name pool. They reached us via two main routes: early Christian saint names (Peter from πέτρος "rock", Andrew from ἀνδρεῖος "manly") and post-WWII Greek migration, which made cities like Melbourne home to one of the largest Greek diasporas outside Greece itself. Characteristic endings include -er/-ander (Alexander — "defender of men"), -ia/-a (Sophia ← σοφία "wisdom", Catherine ← καθαρός "pure", Helen ← Helios "the sun"), and -os/-as (Georgios → George "farmer", Philippos → Philip "lover of horses"). Greek meanings tend to be poetic — referring to virtues (Sophia = wisdom, Eugene = nobly born), natural phenomena (Melania = "dark"), or myths (Helen = "light"). Currently popular Greek-origin names in Australia include Sophia, George, Peter, Alexandra, Catherine, Theodore, Melanie, Philip, Anastasia, Eugene.