DEMETRIOS IS NOW JIMMY  Problems and Pitfalls Translating Proper Names by Basil Zafiriou Published in The National Herald September 2, 2019 ------------------------------ I am excited that  The National Herald  has given Hellenic Genealogy Geek the right to reprint articles that may be of interest to our group.  ------------------------------ Demetrios Is Now Jimmy is the title of a book by Lazar Odzak that traces the experience of Greek immigrants in the Southern United States during the early 1900s. The desire to adapt to and be accepted by the dominant society led many of these early immigrants to Americanize their names. Hence the title of the book. At the time, it was common to change surnames as well as first names. That is now rare, but anglicizing first names is still the norm. The way this is done leads often to odd results. Consider the mutation of Demetrios to Jimmy. Jimmy is a diminutive form of James, which in...

How to search the 40,000+ Greek Names posted in the Hellenic Genealogy Geek blog.  Over the past few years I have made many blog postings on HellenicGenealogyGeek.com that include over 40,000+ names of our Greek ancestors.     The postings include names from the Greek General Election Lists from the mid-1800s, names from books and articles about our history in Greece and the worldwide diaspora, names indexed from databases, military records and more. I believe the most effective way to search for your family names in the HellenicGenealogyGeek.com blog is by using an advanced Google search.   Note:  To my knowledge Google does not allow you to use a wild card search within a word.  Too bad since most of our family names are spelled in various ways.  If anyone knows how to do this please share with the group. The following example is based on my Manousos family line, in the U.S. this name is usually spelled as Manusos.   How ca...

I have been working to translate the City of Leonidiou and found a great example of the importance of being cautious when doing your Hellenic genealogy research.  Below you will see three (3) different people named Alexandros Alexandrou in the same city.  This means you can't just choose information you find on any Alexandros Alexandrou and assume it is your relative.  The key is to understand who the father was. Apparently there was a grandfather named Alexandros Alexandrou, who had three sons named Nikolaos, Panagiotis, and Andreas.  They each had a son that was named after the grandfather Alexandros.   Line # - Given Name, Surname - Name of Father - Age  10 -Alexandros Alexandrou - Nikolaos - 30 11 - Alexandros Alexandrou - Panagiotis - 23  12 - Alexandros Alexandrou - Andreas - 24 

I recently learned about this book and ordered a used copy from Amazon.com (also available online from other retailers).  I really enjoyed it. " This is a collection of essays and documents concerning some of the most important events in the long history of Greek people." - Antonios H. Diamataris, publisher ---------- THE GREEKS The Triumphant Journey From the Ancient Greeks and the Greek Revolution of 1821, to Greek Americans Publisher - The National Herald First Edition 2001 - Second Edition 2002 "This book is made possible due to the generous support of the "Stavros S. Niarchos" Foundation to which we are deeply grateful." ---------- Below you will find the TABLE OF CONTENTS and for your reference a list of the  205 GREEK NAMES mentioned in the book. ---------- TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgments by Antonios H. Diamataris, publisher Greece in the American Imagination by Steve Frangos CHA...

NAMING CHILDREN AFTER GRANDPARENTS: A GREEK TRADITION Published in The National Herald, February 25, 2006 Issue Authored by Rev. George Poulos Special to The National Herald ------------------------------ We are excited to announce that  The National Herald  has given Hellenic Genealogy Geek the right to reprint articles that may be of interest to our group.  ------------------------------ Most young wedded couples in America, upon discovery that they are to become parents usually ponder the prospective name of the child, male or female, for a good portion of the gestation period. In extreme cases, a decision has not been reached until after the newborn has arrived.  In either case, a more or less random selection, made without purpose, is an affront not only to the offspring, but also to the sacred mystery of life created by God in His Own image. The dilemma of wading through a sea of names like some lottery ticket buyer is not a ...

GREEK / ENGLISH SURNAMES Purpose:  Tool for use as a guide to help non-Greek readers recognize Greek family surnames in online archives at the General Archives of Greece (GAK) Location ΑΓΙΟΣ ΙΩΑΝΝΗΣ - SAINT JOHN Δημος Σπ'αρτης - Municipality  of Spartis - (Dimos Sparta)  Lakonia - Peloponnese Region - Greece Source :   Year 1872 - Election Material From The Collection of Vlachoyiannis - GAK Online Archives File #025 - Page 426 through 435 -- Start line 1653 Link - http://arxeiomnimon.gak.gr/browse/resource.html?tab=tab02&id=13833&start=420 Each page contains:  Line #, First Name, SURNAME , Age, Father's name, Occupation - - Note:  The electoral rolls are alphabetized by "First Name". ---------- Additional general Greek surname information can be found at  http://hellenicgenealogygeek.blogspot.com/search/label/Greek%20Research%20How%20To ---------- Greek - English Surnames from 1...