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George (given name)

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George
St. Georgedepicted slaying a dragon
PronunciationEnglish:/ˈdʒɔːrdʒ/JORJ
GenderMale
Name dayApril 23
Origin
Meaningfarmer
Region of originAncient Greece
Other names
Nickname(s)Geo,Geordie
Related namesGeorges,Georginio,Georgios,Georgius,Gheorghe,Giorgio,Göran,Geevarghese/Varghese,GjergjGyörgy,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 Washington, the first president of the United States

George(English:/ˈdʒɔːrdʒ/) is a masculine given name derived from theGreekGeorgios(Γεώργιος;Ancient Greek:[ɡeɔː́rɡi.os],Modern Greek:[ʝeˈorʝi.os]).[1][2][3]The name gained popularity due to its association with theChristian martyr,Saint George(died 23 April 303), a member of thePraetorian Guardwho was sentenced to death for his refusal to renounceChristianity,and prior to that, it might have been atheophoric name,with origins inZeus Georgos,an early title of the Greek godZeus.[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 areGeordieandGeorgie,with the former being limited primarily to residents ofEnglandandScotland.The most popular feminine forms in theAnglosphereareGeorgia,Georgiana,andGeorgina.

History

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Etymology and origins

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Its original Greek form,Georgios,is based on the Greek wordgeorgos(γεωργός), 'farmer'. The wordgeorgositself is ultimately a combination of two Greek words:ge(γῆ), 'earth,soil' andergon(ἔργον), 'work'.Aelius Herodianus(fl. 2nd century AD), a Roman-era Greek grammarian and writer, determined Georgios to be atheophoric name,or a name created to honor a deity, a nod toZeus Georgos,or "Zeusthe Farmer "in English. In the early stages ofGreek mythology,before Zeus took on a major role in theGreek pantheonas ruler of all the gods and goddesses, he wassacrificedto as anagricultural god,apatronofcropsandharvests.[6]The name took on religious significance to followers ofEarly Christianityin 303 with the supposed martyrdom ofGeorgios,a Roman soldier of Greek heritage. While the story's historical accuracy is subject to debate, his character took on real importance to theChristian Church,with Georgios and its variants being used asbaptismal namesand by religious officials and Christian monarchs, though it did not become common among thelaityuntil after theMiddle Ages.

Forms

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In other languages

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Feminine forms

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People with the given name

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Late antiquity to early medieval

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See also:King George (disambiguation)andPrince George (disambiguation)

High to late medieval

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Renaissance to modern

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See:All pages with titles beginning withGeorge

Fictional characters

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See also

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References

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  1. ^Greek Names in EnglishArchivedJanuary 4, 2021, at theWayback Machine,Lexicon of Greek Personal Names,Oxford University
  2. ^Campbell, Mike."Meaning, origin and history of the name George".Behind the Name.RetrievedAugust 1,2019.
  3. ^γεωργ-ός,γεωργ-έωin Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott,A Greek-English Lexicon.
  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. Τὰ διὰ τοῦιοςπροπαροξύτονα 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.
  7. ^"NVB - verklaring voornaam Jorien".
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