Today’s Greek name day travels further than family lunch. If you know a Damian, a Cosmo, a Cosmas, or even a Maurice, there is a good chance their name touches the same tradition being marked in Greek homes today, alongside the more distinctly Greek Anargyros.
Damian comes from Greek Δαμιανός, an ancient name linked to the verb δαμάζω, “to tame” or “to subdue,” and it passed from Greek into Latin as Damianus before spreading widely across Europe. Cosmas comes from Greek Κοσμάς, drawn from κόσμος, one of the richest words in Greek, meaning order, adornment, and by extension the world itself. Anargyros is thoroughly Greek in form, from αν- meaning “without” and άργυρος meaning “silver,” while Maurice belongs to the same broad historical stream as Greek Μαυρίκιος, from Latin Mauritius, “Moorish” or “dark-skinned,” a name that moved easily through French and English.
In Eastern Orthodox Christianity, a person’s name day is the feast day of the saint after whom they were named at baptism.
There is something memorable about the circle these names create. A papou Anargyros may be the one who never lets anyone leave the table empty-handed, and a cousin Damian may be the calm, capable one everybody calls when something goes wrong. The resonance of Anargyros has long carried the image of care given freely, so it fits the family doctor, the godfather who quietly helps, or the neighbour who shows up with his toolbox before you even ask.
Cosmas brings a different kind of texture. The old friend named Cosmo who can make a crowded room feel put together, or the local barber whose chair somehow becomes the centre of neighbourhood news, carries that sense of order and polish naturally. And Maurice, in its Greek form Μαυρίκιος, is one of those names that reminds us how easily Greek, Latin, French, and English lives overlap in a city like Montreal.
Chronia Polla! to everyone celebrating today, in Greek and non-Greek circles alike. If you know a Damian, Cosmo, Cosmas, Maurice, or Anargyros, today is a lovely day to send a quick happy name day message and share a small Greek custom they may never have known was also theirs.
