George () is a masculine given name derived from the Greek Georgios (; , ). It may have been a theophoric name, with origins in Zeus Georgos, an early title of the Greek god Zeus. In the fourth century, the name gained popularity due to its association with the Christian martyr, Saint George (died 23 April 303). Today, it is one of the most commonly used names in the Western world. Its diminutives are Geordie and Georgie, with the former being limited primarily to residents of England and Scotland. The most popular feminine forms in the Anglosphere are Georgia, Georgiana, and Georgina.
History
Etymology and origins
Its original Greek form, Georgios, is based on the Greek word georgos (óõÃÂÃÂóÃÂÃÂ), 'farmer'. The word georgos itself is ultimately a combination of two Greek words: ge (óá¿Â), 'earth, soil' and ergon (á¼ÂÃÂóÿý), 'work'. Aelius Herodianus (fl. 2nd century AD), a Roman-era Greek grammarian and writer, determined Georgios to be a theophoric name, or a name created to honor a deity, a nod to Zeus Georgos, or "Zeus the Farmer" in English. In the early stages of Greek mythology, before Zeus took on a major role in the Greek pantheon as ruler of all the gods and goddesses, he was sacrificed to as an agricultural god, a patron of crops and harvests. The name took on religious significance to followers of Early Christianity in 303 with the supposed martyrdom of Georgios, a Roman soldier of Greek heritage. While the story's historical accuracy is subject to debate, his character took on real importance to the Christian Church, with Georgios and its variants being used as baptismal names and by religious officials and Christian monarchs, though it did not become common among the laity until after the Middle Ages.
Forms
In other languages
- Avar: ÃÂõþÃÂóøù (Georgij), ÃÂöþÃÂôö (DÃ
¾ordÃ
¾)
- Abkhazian: ÃÂÃÂðÃÂóà(GâÂÂargâÂÂ), ÃÂÃÂþÃÂÃÂà(JâÂÂorjâÂÂ)
- Albanian: Gjergj, Gjorgj, Xhorxh, Jorgji
- Amharic: Giorgis (áÂÂá®áÂÂáÂÂáµ)
- Arabic: Jirjës (), Jirjis (), Jawrj ()
- Egyptian Arabic: Gerges (), Girgis ()
- Palestinian Arabic: Jiryes (ìñÃÂó)
- Aragonese: Chorche
- Aramaic: Gewargis (ÃÂÃÂÃÂêÃÂÃÂã), Gevargis, Gaggi (diminutive), Gaggo (diminutive), Givo (diminutive)
- Armenian: Gevorg (óÃÂøÃÂã), Kevork (Western)
- Aromanian: Yioryi, Ioryi, Yoryi
- Asturian: Xurde
- Azerbaijani: CÃÂrcis, Corcius, Corc
- Basque: Gorka, Jurgi, Urtzi
- Belarusian: Hieorhiy (ÃÂõþÃÂóÃÂù), Yury (îÃÂÃÂ), Yurka (îÃÂúð) (diminutive)
- Breton: Jor, Jord
- Bulgarian: Georgi (ÃÂõþÃÂóø)
- Catalan: Jordi
- Coptic: Georgios (â²Ââ²Ââ²Ââ²£â²Â
â²Ââ²Ââ²¥), Girgis (â²Ââ²Ââ²£â²Â
â²Ââ²¥)
- Czech: JiÃ
ÂÃÂ
- Chechen: ÃÂõþÃÂóøù (Gõorgiy)
- Danish: Jørgen, Jørn
- Dutch: Joris, Juriaan/Juriaen (archaic spelling), Joren, Sjors
- English: Geordie (diminutive), George, Georgie (diminutive)
- Estonian: Georg, Jüri, Jürgen
- Faroese: Jørundur
- French: Georges
- Finnish: Jori, Jyri, Jyrki, Yrjänä, Yrjö
- Frisian: Jurjen
- Galician: Xurxo
- Georgian: Gio (áÂÂáÂÂáÂÂ) (diminutive), Giorgi (áÂÂáÂÂáÂÂá áÂÂáÂÂ), Gia (áÂÂáÂÂáÂÂ) (diminutive), Goga (áÂÂáÂÂáÂÂáÂÂ) (diminutive), Gogi (áÂÂáÂÂáÂÂáÂÂ) (diminutive)
- German: Georg, Jockel (diminutive), Jörg, Jörgen, Jürgen, Schorsch
- Greek: Geórgios (ÃÂõÃÂÃÂóùÿÃÂ) (Modern), Geá¹Ârgios (ÃÂõÃÂÃÂóùÿÃÂ) (Koine), Tzortz (äöÿÃÂÃÂö) (English)
- Hindi: Jorj (à ¤Âà ¥Âà ¤°à ¥Âà ¤Â)
- Hungarian: György
- Icelandic: Georg
- Indonesian: Georgius, George
- Irish: Seóirse (also Seoirse)
- Italian: Giorgio, Giorgino (diminutive), Gino (diminutive)
- Kanuri: Jorji
- Kurdish: Gurc
- Latin: Georgius
- Latgalian: Jurs
- Latvian: Georgijs, Georgs, Jurãis, Juris
- Lithuanian: Georgijus, Jurgis
- Limburgish: Jorge.
- Macedonian: Gjorgji (ÃÂþÃÂÃÂø), Gjorgje (ÃÂþÃÂÃÂõ), Gjorgjija ÃÂþÃÂÃÂøÃÂð (Gjorgjija), Gjoko (ÃÂþúþ)
- Malayalam: Geevarghese () (when referring to Saint George), Varghese (à ´µà ´°à µÂà ´Âà µÂà ´¸à µÂ); Jorjj (à ´Âà µÂà µ¼à ´Âà µÂà ´Âà µÂ) (based on the English pronunciation)
- Maltese: àorá
- Manx: Shorys
- MÃÂori: Hori
- Monegasque: Giorgi
- Norman: Jore
- Norwegian: Georg, Jørn, ÃÂrjan, Jørgen
- Occitan: Jòrdi
- Persian: Jurjis (ìñìÃÂó)
- Polish: Jerzy, Jur, Jurek, (diminutive), Juras (diminutive)
- Portuguese: Jorge
- Romanian: George, Gheorghe, Georgiu
- Russian: ÃÂõþÃÂóøù (Gheorghy) with diminutives ÃÂþóð (Goga), ÃÂþÃÂð (Zhora) and ÃÂþÃÂð (Gosha), îÃÂøù (Yury) with diminutive îÃÂð (Yura) and ÃÂóþà(Yegor).
- Samoan: Siaosi
- Scots: Dod, Doddie
- Scottish Gaelic: Deòrsa, Seòras
- Serbo-Croatian: ÃÂorÃÂe (ÃÂþÃÂÃÂõ), ÃÂorÃÂo (ÃÂþÃÂÃÂþ), ÃÂukan (ÃÂÃÂúðý), ÃÂuraà(ÃÂÃÂÃÂðÃÂ), ÃÂurÃÂe (ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂõ), ÃÂoko (ÃÂþúþ), ÃÂoka (ÃÂþúð), ÃÂuro (ÃÂÃÂÃÂþ), ÃÂura (ÃÂÃÂÃÂð), Georgije (ÃÂõþÃÂóøÃÂõ), Juraj (ÃÂÃÂÃÂðÃÂ), Jure (ÃÂÃÂÃÂõ), Jurica (ÃÂÃÂÃÂøÃÂð)
- Slovak: Juraj
- Slovene: Jure, Jurij
- Spanish: Jorge
- Swedish: Georg, Göran, Jörgen, Jörn, ÃÂrjan
- Tamil: JÃÂrj (à ®Âà ®¾à ®°à ¯Âà ®Âà ¯Â)
- Thai: ÃÂhort (à ¸Âà ¸Âà ¸£à ¹Âà ¸Â; based on the English pronunciation), Yod (à ¸¢à ¸Âà ¸Â; a historical distorted interpretation of the name)
- Tibetan: Rdorje (à ½¢à ¾¡à ½¼à ¼Âà ½¢à ¾Âà ½ºà ¼Â)
- Tongan: Siaosi
- Turkish: Cercis, Circis, Curcis, Yorgi, Gürcü
- Ukrainian: Heorhiy (ÃÂõþÃÂóÃÂù), Yehor (ÃÂóþÃÂ), Yurii, Yuriy, Yuri (îÃÂÃÂù)
- Upper Sorbian: Jurij
- Uzbek: Jorj
- Venetian: Xorxi, Zorzi
- Waray: Jorge
- Welsh: Siôr
Feminine forms
- Bulgarian: Gergana (ÃÂõÃÂóðýð)
- Albanian: Jorgjia, Jorgjica, Gjeorgjina, Gjorgjina, Xheorxhina, Xhorxhina
- Catalan: Jordina
- Czech: JiÃ
Âina
- Dutch: Georgina, Jorien
- English: Georgeanna, Georgann, Georgia, Georgiana, Georgina, Georgie (diminutive), Gina (diminutive, also Geena), Georgette, Georenn
- French: George, Georgette, Georgine, Gigi
- Greek: Georgia (ÃÂõÃÂÃÂóïñ)
- Hungarian: Györgyi, Györgyike (diminutive)
- Italian: Giorgia, Giorgina (diminutive), Gina (diminutive)
- Latin: Georgia
- Maltese: àoráa
- Polish: Georgina
- Portuguese: Jorgina
- Romanian: Georgeta, Georgiana
- Spanish: Georgina, Jorgelina
- Turkish: Yorgiya
People
Rulers and aristocrats
Ordered chronologically where feasible.
- King George (disambiguation)
- Prince George (disambiguation)
- George I (disambiguation)
- George II (disambiguation)
- George III (disambiguation)
- George IV (disambiguation)
- George V (disambiguation)
- George VI (disambiguation)
- George VII (disambiguation)
- George VII (disambiguation)
- George (Ongud king) (c.âÂÂ1250âÂÂ1298/1299), king of the Ongud and an official of the Yuan dynasty
- George, Emperor of Trebizond (c. 1255âÂÂafter 1284)
- George VIII of Georgia (1415/1417âÂÂ1476), King of Georgia and, as George I, King of Kakheti
- George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Clarence (1449âÂÂ1478)
- George, Duke of Saxony (1471âÂÂ1539)
- George, Duke of Coimbra (1481âÂÂ1550), Portuguese Infante, natural son of King John II of Portugal
- George Boleyn, Viscount Rochford (1504âÂÂ1536), Tudor poet and diplomat, brother of Anne Boleyn
- George of Lencastre, 2nd Duke of Aveiro (1548âÂÂ1578)
- George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron, better known as Lord Byron (1788âÂÂ1824), English author
Religious figures
- George of Laodicea (died 347), ancient Roman bishop of Laodicea
- George of Cappadocia (died 361), ancient Roman bishop of Alexandria
- George of Izla (died 615), East Syriac martyr, theologian and interpreter
- Patriarch George I of Alexandria (), Greek Ortodox Greek Patriarch of Alexandria
- George I of Constantinople (died 686), Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople and Eastern Orthodox saint
- George II of Antioch, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch (691âÂÂ702)
- George of Beltan (758âÂÂ790), Patriarch of Antioch and head of the Syriac Orthodox Church
- George Syncellus (died after 810), Byzantine chronicler and ecclesiastical official
- George Choiroboskos, early 9th-century Byzantine grammarian and deacon
- George Hamartolos, 9th-century Byzantine monk
- George II of Armenia, Catholicos of the Apostolic Armenian Church (877âÂÂ897)
- Patriarch George II of Alexandria, Greek Patriarch of Alexandria (1021âÂÂ1052)
- George of Chqondidi (died c. 1118), Archbishop of Chqondidi and advisor to King David IV of Georgia
- George II of Constantinople (died 1198), Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople
- George Beseb'ely (1595âÂÂ1670), Maronite Patriarch of Antioch
- George (archbishop of Cyprus) (born 1949), Eastern Orthodox Archbishop of Nova Justiniana and All Cyprus
- George of Antioch (disambiguation), various clergymen from the 9th to the 19th centuries
Others
Pre-modern world
Modern world
A
B
C
- George Cadogan (disambiguation)
- George Cahill (disambiguation)
- George Caldwell (disambiguation)
- George Callender (disambiguation)
- George Calvert (disambiguation)
- George Cambridge (disambiguation)
- George Cameron (disambiguation)
- George Campbell (disambiguation)
- George Canning (disambiguation)
- George Cannon (disambiguation)
- George Carew (disambiguation)
- George Carey (disambiguation)
- George Carleton (disambiguation)
- George Carlson (disambiguation)
- George Carnegie (disambiguation)
- George Carpenter (disambiguation)
- George Carr (disambiguation)
- George Ceara (1880/1881âÂÂ1939), Aromanian poet and prose writer
- George Carlin (1937âÂÂ2008), American stand-up comedian, actor, social critic, and author
- George Carroll (disambiguation)
- George Carson (disambiguation)
- George Carstairs (disambiguation)
- George Carter (disambiguation)
- George Cartwright (disambiguation)
- George Carver (disambiguation)
- George Cary (disambiguation)
- George Case (disambiguation)
- George Casey (disambiguation)
- George Cassidy (disambiguation)
- George Castle (disambiguation)
- George Cathie (disambiguation)
- George Catlin (disambiguation)
- George Cave (disambiguation)
- George Cavendish (disambiguation)
- George Chadwick (disambiguation)
- George Challis (disambiguation)
- George Chalmers (disambiguation)
- George Chamberlain (disambiguation)
- George Chambers (disambiguation)
- George Champion (disambiguation)
- George Chan (disambiguation)
- George Chance (disambiguation)
- George Chandler (disambiguation)
- George Chapman (disambiguation)
- George Charles (disambiguation)
- George Chase (disambiguation)
- George Chatterton (disambiguation)
- George Cherry (disambiguation)
- George Chetwynd (disambiguation)
- George Cheyne (disambiguation)
- George Chichester (disambiguation)
- George Chisholm (disambiguation)
- George Cholmondeley (disambiguation)
- George Christensen (disambiguation)
- George Christian (disambiguation)
- George Christie (disambiguation)
- George Christopher (disambiguation)
- George D. Chryssides (born 1945), British academic
- George Chubb (disambiguation)
- George Church (disambiguation)
- George Churchill (disambiguation)
- George Cisar (disambiguation)
- George Clancy (disambiguation)
- George Clanton (born 1988), American electronic musician
- George Clare (disambiguation)
- George Clark (disambiguation)
- George Clarke (disambiguation)
- George Clay (disambiguation)
- George Clayton (disambiguation)
- George Clements (disambiguation)
- George Clerk (disambiguation)
- George Clifford (disambiguation)
- George Clinton (disambiguation)
- George Clive (disambiguation)
- George Clooney (born 1961), American actor, film producer, director and activist
- George Clymer (disambiguation)
- George Coats (disambiguation)
- George Cobb (disambiguation)
- George Cobham (disambiguation)
- George Cochran (disambiguation)
- George Cockburn (disambiguation)
- George Cockerill (disambiguation)
- George Coe (disambiguation)
- George Coghill (disambiguation)
- George Cohen (disambiguation)
- George Cole (disambiguation)
- George Coleman (disambiguation)
- George Coles (disambiguation)
- George Collier (disambiguation)
- George Collins (disambiguation)
- George Colman (disambiguation)
- George Colton (disambiguation)
- George Compton (disambiguation)
- George Comstock (disambiguation)
- George Conn (disambiguation)
- George Connell (disambiguation)
- George Connor (disambiguation)
- George Constantine (disambiguation)
- George Converse (disambiguation)
- George Conway (disambiguation)
- George Cook (disambiguation)
- George Cooke (disambiguation)
- George Cooper (disambiguation)
- George Coote (disambiguation)
- George Cope (disambiguation)
- George Corbett (disambiguation)
- George Corliss (disambiguation)
- George Cornelius (disambiguation)
- George Cornewall (disambiguation)
- George Corrie (disambiguation)
- George Cory (disambiguation)
- George Cotterill (disambiguation)
- George Cotton (disambiguation)
- George Courtauld (disambiguation)
- George Courtenay (disambiguation)
- George Coventry (disambiguation)
- George Cowles (disambiguation)
- George Cowper (disambiguation)
- George Cox (disambiguation)
- George Crabb (disambiguation)
- George Craig (disambiguation)
- George Cram (disambiguation)
- George Crane (disambiguation)
- George Crawford (disambiguation)
- George Crawley (disambiguation)
- George Crenshaw (disambiguation)
- George Crichton (disambiguation)
- George Crile (disambiguation)
- George Critchett (disambiguation)
- George Crocker (disambiguation)
- George Croft (disambiguation)
- George Croghan (disambiguation)
- George Cross (disambiguation)
- George Crowe (disambiguation)
- George Crowther (disambiguation)
- George Cruickshank (disambiguation)
- George Crump (disambiguation)
- George Cuitt (disambiguation)
- George Cumming (disambiguation)
- George Cummings (disambiguation)
- George Cummins (disambiguation)
- George Cunningham (disambiguation)
- George Curme (disambiguation)
- George Currie (disambiguation)
- George Curry (disambiguation)
- George Curtis (disambiguation)
- George Curzon (disambiguation)
- George Cuthbertson (disambiguation)
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
Y
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Pen or stage name
- George Alice, Australian singer-songwriter Georgia Mannion (born 2003)
- George Eastman (actor), Italian B-movie actor and screenwriter Luigi Montefiori (born 1942)
- George Eliot, pen name of English writer Mary Ann Evans (1819âÂÂ1880)
Fictional characters
- Big George, a character in the 1991 American comedy-drama Fried Green Tomatoes
- Curious George, fictional monkey who is the title character in the Curious George franchise
- King George, a character in the animated film Hoppers
- George Bailey, the main character in the 1946 American Christmas supernatural drama movie It's a Wonderful Life
- George Beard, fictional character from Captain Underpants
- George Cooper Sr. and George "Georgie" Cooper Jr, both characters in Young Sheldon . Georgie also appears in The Big Bang Theory and the show Georgie and Mandy's First Marriage .
- George Costanza, a character in the television series Seinfeld
- George Hanson, a main character in The Object of My Affection
- George Jetson, a character in the animated television series The Jetsons
- George McFly, a character in the Back To The Future movie series
- George Owens, a character from Mr. Belvedere
- George Papadopoulos and George "Papa" Papadopoulos, Sr, characters in the American sitcom television series Webster
- George P. Mandrake (formerly known as Barnyard Dawg), a character from the Looney Tunes franchise
- George Roper, one of the two main characters in the British sitcom George and Mildred
- George Stoody, one of the two main characters in the American sitcom television series George and Leo
- Insp. George Storton, a police inspector from the Crown Court episode: "Such a Charming Man", portrayed by Peter Sallis
- George Taylor, the main character in the American film Planet of the Apes
- George Pig, a 2-year-old pig and Peppa's younger brother in the British show Peppa Pig
- George Kirrin, a character from The Famous Five
- George Liquor, a character created by John Kricfalusi
- George Lundgren, a character in the Arthur book and television series
- George the Steamroller, a character from Thomas & Friends
- The title character of the animated television program George of the Jungle
- The title character of the American animated television series George Shrinks
- The title character of the TV series George Lopez
- George, a giant gorilla in video game Rampage
See also
References