Today, every Bartholomew, Bart and Titus you know shares a name day with the Greek tradition. These are not names most Montrealers hear every day, which is exactly what makes them such good conversation starters: the uncle named Vartholomeos, the classmate called Titus, the co-worker everyone knows simply as Bart.
Bartholomew comes into English through Latin and French forms, but its deeper origin is older still: from Aramaic bar-Talmay, meaning “son of Talmai.” Greek gave it the New Testament form Βαρθολομαῖος, which then travelled widely across Europe into forms like Barthélemy, Bartolomeo and Bart. Titus, by contrast, comes from the ancient Roman name Titus, adopted early into Greek as Τίτος and preserved there with very little change.
In Eastern Orthodox Christianity, a person’s name day is the feast day of the saint after whom they were named at baptism.
Bartholomew has a formal, weighty sound, and it often seems to belong to someone memorable: the papou who still signs cards with his full name, or the customer everyone greets warmly because he has been coming into the shop for years. Titus feels shorter and steadier, the kind of name that suits a university friend who is dependable without making a show of it, or the across-the-street neighbour who is always first to lend a hand when something needs carrying.
For Greek-Canadians, that is part of the charm of a day like this. A name that may seem rare in English suddenly opens onto Greek, Latin, Aramaic and Roman history all at once, and turns into an easy little act of connection. Chronia Polla! to everyone celebrating today, in Greek and non-Greek circles alike. If you know a Bartholomew, a Bart or a Titus, today is a perfect day to send a quick happy name day message and share what the tradition means.
