Greek Last Names
Greek last names are often long, but they’re easy to decode once you know the pattern. Most combine a root — a father’s name, a trade, a place or a nickname — with an ending that means “son of” or “little,” and that ending usually points to a region: -poulos for the Peloponnese, -akis for Crete, -idis for northern Greece and the Black Sea.
Below are more than 100 Greek surnames with meanings, grouped by type and region, plus the shortened forms many Greek American families adopted. For first names, see Greek boy names and Greek girl names, or start at our Greek names hub. Curious about other traditions? Compare with Italian last names.
The most common Greek last names
These surnames appear again and again in Greek phone books and records. Many start with Papa-, from “priest,” because Orthodox priests can marry and their children took the title as a surname.
| Surname | Meaning | Clue |
|---|---|---|
| Papadopoulos | “Son of the priest” | Peloponnese |
| Papadakis | “Son of the priest” | Crete |
| Papageorgiou | “Son of priest George” | Patronymic |
| Oikonomou | “Steward” (of a church or estate) | Occupation |
| Georgiou | “Of George” | Patronymic genitive |
| Nikolaou | “Of Nikolaos” | Patronymic genitive |
| Dimitriou | “Of Dimitrios” | Patronymic genitive |
| Ioannou | “Of John” | Patronymic genitive |
| Vasileiou | “Of Vasilis” | Patronymic genitive |
| Konstantinou | “Of Konstantinos” | Patronymic genitive |
| Kyriakou | “Of Kyriakos” | Patronymic genitive |
| Vlachos | “Vlach,” a Balkan shepherd people | Ethnic/descriptive |
| Makris | “Tall, long” | Nickname |
| Petridis | “Son of Petros” | Northern Greece |
| Antoniou | “Of Antonios” | Patronymic genitive |
| Athanasiou | “Of Athanasios” | Patronymic genitive |
| Alexiou | “Of Alexios” | Patronymic genitive |
| Christodoulou | “Servant of Christ” | Religious |
| Karagiannis | “Black John” | Turkish kara, “black” |
| Michailidis | “Son of Michael” | Northern Greece |
Greek surnames ending in -poulos
-poulos comes from a word for “young bird” or “child” and means “son of.” It is typical of the Peloponnese and very common among Greek Americans.
| Surname | Meaning | Root |
|---|---|---|
| Angelopoulos | “Son of Angelos” | Angel, messenger |
| Anagnostopoulos | “Son of the reader” (church lector) | Occupation |
| Dimopoulos | “Son of Dimos” | Short for Dimitrios |
| Georgopoulos | “Son of George” | Farmer |
| Giannopoulos | “Son of Giannis” | John |
| Kostopoulos | “Son of Kostas” | Constantine |
| Nikolopoulos | “Son of Nikolaos” | Victory of the people |
| Panagopoulos | “Son of Panagis” | All-holy |
| Stavropoulos | “Son of Stavros” | Cross |
| Theodoropoulos | “Son of Theodoros” | Gift of God |
| Christopoulos | “Son of Christos” | Anointed |
| Athanasopoulos | “Son of Athanasios” | Immortal |
| Vasilopoulos | “Son of Vasilis” | Kingly |
| Kanellopoulos | “Son of Kanellos” | Possibly from kanela, “cinnamon” |
Cretan surnames ending in -akis
The diminutive -akis (“little”) is the hallmark of Crete. It can attach to a first name, a trade or a nickname.
| Surname | Meaning | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Christakis | “Little Christos” | Patronymic |
| Georgakis | “Little George” | Patronymic |
| Nikolakis | “Little Nikolaos” | Patronymic |
| Markakis | “Little Markos” | Patronymic |
| Manolakis | “Little Manolis” | Patronymic |
| Kazantzakis | “Little cauldron-maker” | Novelist Nikos Kazantzakis |
| Theodorakis | “Little Theodoros” | Composer Mikis Theodorakis |
| Mitsotakis | “Little Mitsos” | Family of Greek prime ministers |
| Venizelos | From a family nickname | Statesman Eleftherios Venizelos, a Cretan |
| Daskalakis | “Little teacher” | Occupation |
| Psarakis | “Little fisherman” | Occupation |
| Mavrakis | “Little dark one” | Nickname |
| Sfakianakis | “Little one from Sfakia” | Place in Crete |
| Tzanakis | “Little John” (Venetian Zane) | Venetian influence |
| Kapetanakis | “Little captain” | Occupation |
Northern Greek and Pontic surnames ending in -idis and -iadis
Ancient patronymic endings -idis and -iadis (“descendant of”) are common in Macedonia, Thrace and among Pontic Greeks from the Black Sea coast.
| Surname | Meaning | Region |
|---|---|---|
| Nikolaidis | “Descendant of Nikolaos” | Macedonia |
| Papadimitriou | “Son of priest Dimitrios” | Nationwide |
| Karamanlidis | “From Karaman” | Anatolian Greek |
| Ioannidis | “Descendant of Ioannis” | Northern Greece |
| Konstantinidis | “Descendant of Konstantinos” | Constantinople and north |
| Savvidis | “Descendant of Savvas” | Pontic |
| Theodoridis | “Descendant of Theodoros” | Northern Greece |
| Anastasiadis | “Descendant of Anastasios” | Northern Greece |
| Christodoulidis | “Descendant of Christodoulos” | Cyprus and north |
| Chatzidakis | “Little pilgrim’s son” | Hatzi-, one who went to Jerusalem |
| Chatzigeorgiou | “Son of pilgrim George” | Pilgrimage title |
| Pavlidis | “Descendant of Pavlos” | Northern Greece |
Greek last names from trades, places and nicknames
Occupations and personal traits gave Greece plenty of vivid surnames. Some borrow Turkish words from the Ottoman era, like kara (“black”) or kazanci (“kettle maker”).
| Surname | Meaning | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Ferraris | “Blacksmith” (from Italian ferro, “iron”) | Occupation |
| Raptis | “Tailor” | Occupation |
| Psaras | “Fisherman” | Occupation |
| Mylonas | “Miller” | Occupation |
| Kalogeropoulos | “Son of the monk” | Occupation |
| Daskalos | “Teacher” | Occupation |
| Galanis | “Blue-eyed, light” | Nickname |
| Mavros | “Black, dark” | Nickname |
| Kontos | “Short” | Nickname |
| Xanthos | “Blond, fair” | Nickname |
| Kokkinos | “Red” | Nickname |
| Asproulis | “Little white one” | Nickname |
| Kalogirou | “Of the monk” | Religious |
| Kritikos | “Cretan” | Place |
| Chiotis | “From Chios” | Place |
| Kefalas | “Big head,” a stubborn or clever person | Nickname |
| Pontikos | “Mouse” | Nickname |
| Lagos | “Hare” | Nickname |
| Lykos | “Wolf” | Nickname |
| Tsakalos | “Jackal” | Nickname |
| Karras | “Dark,” from Turkish kara | Nickname |
| Kalaitzis | “Tinsmith” (Turkish kalaycı) | Occupation |
| Bakalis | “Grocer” (Turkish bakkal) | Occupation |
| Tsoukalas | “Pot”; a potter | Occupation |
| Sideris | From sidero, “iron” | Occupation |
| Kalamaras | “Inkwell maker” or scribe | Occupation |
| Voulgaris | “Bulgarian” | Ethnic |
| Arvanitis | “Arvanite,” an Albanian-speaking Greek | Ethnic |
| Politis | “From the City” (Constantinople) | Place |
| Rodios | “From Rhodes” | Place |
| Smyrnios | “From Smyrna” | Place |
| Samios | “From Samos” | Place |
Surnames from the Ionian Islands and Mani
Island and regional families have their own patterns: -atos is typical of Kefalonia and the Ionian Islands, while the rugged Mani peninsula is known for old clan names.
| Surname | Meaning | Region |
|---|---|---|
| Marinatos | From the first name Marinos | Kefalonia; archaeologist Spyridon Marinatos |
| Spyratos | From Spyros (Spyridon) | Ionian Islands |
| Theotokis | “Of the Mother of God” | Corfu noble family |
| Metaxas | From metaxi, “silk”; a silk trader | Kefalonia and Ithaca |
| Mavromichalis | “Black Michael” | Mani clan |
Greek American surnames
Many Greek immigrants shortened their names at Ellis Island or later, so Greek Americans often carry trimmed versions of longer surnames.
| American form | Original surname | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Pappas | Papadopoulos and other Papa- names | Priest |
| Poulos | Various -poulos names | “Son of” |
| Agnew | Anagnostopoulos | “Son of the reader”; family of VP Spiro Agnew |
| Callas | Kalogeropoulos | “Son of the monk”; opera singer Maria Callas |
| Aniston | Anastassakis | From Anastasios, “resurrection”; actor John Aniston |
| Dukakis | Doukakis | “Little duke” |
Tips for understanding Greek last names
- Women use a different form. Greek surnames are gendered: Papadopoulos becomes Papadopoulou, Papadakis stays Papadaki, and Nikolaidis becomes Nikolaidou.
- Read the ending first. -poulos (Peloponnese), -akis (Crete), -idis/-iadis (north and Pontus), -atos (Ionian Islands, like Kefalonia), -eas (Mani) are strong clues.
- “Papa-” and “Hatzi-” are prefixes. Papa- marks a priest in the family line; Hatzi- (Chatzi-) marks an ancestor who made the pilgrimage to Jerusalem.
- Search for shortened forms. If you’re researching Greek American family history, look for the long original in Greek records and the trimmed version in US ones.
- Writers: match surnames to region and era for believable characters, or borrow ideas from fantasy last names if you’re building a Greek-inspired world.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most common Greek last name?
Papadopoulos, meaning “son of the priest,” is generally considered the most common Greek surname. Patronymics like Georgiou and Nikolaou are also very widespread.
What does -poulos mean in Greek surnames?
It means “son of” or “descendant of,” from a word for a young bird or child. It is typical of families from the Peloponnese.
Why do Greek women’s last names differ from men’s?
Greek grammar marks gender and case. A woman traditionally uses the genitive form of her father’s or husband’s surname, so Georgiou stays Georgiou but Papadopoulos becomes Papadopoulou.
What does Pappas mean?
Pappas means “priest.” In the US it is often a shortened form of longer Greek surnames that begin with Papa-, like Papadopoulos or Papageorgiou.
Which Greek surnames come from Crete?
Names ending in -akis are strongly associated with Crete, such as Papadakis, Kazantzakis, Theodorakis and Mitsotakis.