If you grew up Greek, you know the drill. Mum checks the calendar in the morning, says “Ah, it’s Ioanna’s name day,” and suddenly you’re on the phone to a cousin you haven’t spoken to since Easter. 📞
Name days matter. In a lot of Greek families they matter more than birthdays. This page has everything in one place: what a name day is, what to say, the big ones each month, and a free calendar that puts them all in your phone so you’re never caught out again.
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What Is a Name Day?
A name day (giorti) is the feast day of the saint you’re named after. If you’re Dimitris, your day is Agios Dimitrios on 26 October. If you’re Eleni, it’s 21 May, the feast of Saints Konstantinos and Eleni.
Because Greek families traditionally name children after grandparents, the same names come round again and again. That’s why one date can have half your family celebrating at once (hello, 8 November).
Name Day vs Birthday
Birthdays are a private, family thing. Name days are public. Everyone knows the date, so everyone knows to call.
The old tradition is an open house: you don’t send invitations, people just turn up, and you feed them. Your yiayia probably still keeps a tray of koulourakia and a bottle of something ready, just in case. More on that in Celebrating Name Days.
What to Say on a Name Day
- Chronia polla! – “Many years!” The all-purpose greeting. You can’t go wrong.
- Na ta ekatostiseis! – “May you reach 100!”
- Na sas zisei! – “May they live (long) for you!” Said to parents on their child’s name day.
- Na zisete! – “Long life!” For a couple, or a family celebrating together.
The Big Name Days, Month by Month
These are the dates that light up the family group chat. Click a month for the full list.
| Month | Big name days |
|---|---|
| January | 1 – Vasilis, Vasiliki · 6 – Fotis, Fotini, Theofanis · 7 – Yiannis, Ioanna · 17 – Antonis · 18 – Thanasis |
| February | 10 – Charalambos · 11 – Vlasis |
| March | 25 – Vangelis, Evangelia |
| April | 23 – Giorgos, Georgia (moveable) · 25 – Markos (moveable) |
| May | 21 – Konstantinos, Eleni |
| June | 29 – Petros, Pavlos |
| July | 20 – Ilias · 26 – Paraskevi · 27 – Panteleimon |
| August | 6 – Sotiris · 15 – Maria, Panagiotis, Panagiota |
| September | 14 – Stavros, Stavroula · 17 – Sofia |
| October | 26 – Dimitris, Dimitra |
| November | 8 – Michalis, Gavriil, Angeliki · 25 – Katerina · 26 – Stelios, Stella · 30 – Andreas |
| December | 6 – Nikos, Nikoleta · 12 – Spyros · 25 – Christos · 27 – Stefanos |
Moveable Name Days
Some name days follow Easter instead of a fixed date:
- Giorgos and Georgia: 23 April, unless that falls during Lent. Then it moves to Easter Monday.
- Markos: 25 April, and it moves to after Easter the same way.
This is exactly where people get caught out, and exactly why the calendar is handy: it shifts these for you each year.
What If My Name Has No Saint?
Plenty of names don’t have a saint of their own, especially modern or non-Greek ones. If that’s you, you celebrate on All Saints’ Day (Agion Panton), the first Sunday after Pentecost. So everyone gets a name day. Nobody escapes the phone calls.
Name Day FAQs
Do you give presents on a name day?
Small ones, if any. Flowers, sweets from the zacharoplasteio, or a bottle of wine for the host. The phone call is the real gift.
Do I have to call, or is a message OK?
For friends, a message is fine. For family, call. Especially the theies.
Is the name day the same in Australia, the US and Greece?
Yes. The dates follow the Greek Orthodox calendar wherever you are.
How do I add the name day calendar to my phone?
Sign up above and the email walks you through it for iPhone, Google Calendar and Outlook. It takes about 30 seconds.