Athanasius

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Boy · Greek

Athanasius

Say it: ath-uh-NAY-zhus

Try it with your surname

Meaning

From Greek athanatos 'immortal'.

Certainscholars agree on this meaning.

Spread through Athanasius of Alexandria; common in modern Greece as Athanasios (Thanasis).

Its wave through time

Rare in the records

In the United States

161 babies given this name since 2001
At its height in 2019, about 1 in 99,200 boys
15 babies in 2020

Through the ages

Used by

Early Christian Greek Russian

The family of the name

Other spellings: Athanasios

Greek	Athanasios
Russian	Afanasy
Italian	Atanasio

Famous bearers

Saint Athanasius of Alexandria

Names worth a look

BonifaceBoyLatin Bonifatius, 'good fate' (bonum and fatum); it was later reinterpreted as 'doer of good' (from facere).Early Medieval · forgotten

KyriakosBoyFrom Greek kyriakos 'of the Lord'.Early Medieval

AnatoleBoyFrom Greek anatolē 'sunrise, east'.Early Medieval

ErasmusBoyFrom Greek erasmios 'beloved, lovely'.Early Medieval · forgotten

SpyridonBoyUncertain. Perhaps from Greek spyris 'basket', or from Latin spiritus 'spirit'.Early Medieval

GennadyBoyFrom Greek gennadas 'noble, generous'.Early Medieval · forgotten

AthenaGirlUncertain. The goddess's name is thought to be pre-Greek and linked to the city of Athens, but its meaning is unknown.Modern · peak 2019

AthanasiosBoyGreek athanasia 'immortality', 'immortal'.Middle Ages · peak 1973

Where this comes from

Lives of the saints and early Christian martyrologies
Calendars of saints and name days
United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source

Meanings and histories are compiled from the study of names and their languages and checked by a second review.

Meanings and histories are drawn from the study of names and their languages, each with a confidence rating; popularity figures come from official birth records. Name histories are a living field: if you know of a correction, we would be glad to hear it.