George (given name)


George is a masculine given name, of English and Romanian origin, derived from the Greek Geōrgios. The name gained popularity due to its association with the Christian martyr, Saint George, 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. 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 first limited primarily to residents of England and Scotland, and its feminine forms, used in the Anglosphere, are Georgeanna, Georgeanne, Georgene, Georgia, Georgiana, and Georgina.

History

Etymology and origins

Its original Greek form, Georgios, is based on the Greek word georgos, meaning farmer. The word georgos itself is ultimately a combination of two Greek words, ge, meaning earth, soil, and ergon, meaning work. Aelius Herodianus, a Roman-era Greek grammarian and writer, determined Georgios to be a theophoric name, or a name created to honor of 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. 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

Late antiquity to early medieval