Greek Orthodox tradition
Greek Orthodox Name Day Calendar
Find when your name day is. Search your name below, or browse the calendar month by month — every entry links to the saint's life and hymns.
Today's name days — September 3
No widely-celebrated name days today — check the month calendar below.
When is my name day?
Type your first name — English or Greek spelling both work.
Browse name days by month
Name day questions, answered
What is a name day?
A name day (Greek: eorti or onomastiki eorti) is the feast day of the saint you were named after. In Greek Orthodox tradition, instead of celebrating only a birthday, people celebrate on the day the Church commemorates their patron saint — for example, everyone named George celebrates on April 23, the feast of St George the Great Martyr.
How do I find when my name day is?
Use the search above: type your first name (English or Greek spelling) and you will see the saint you are named for and the date of their feast. You can also browse the calendar month by month below.
How do Greeks celebrate name days?
Traditionally the celebrant keeps an "open house": friends and family drop by or call to say "Chronia Polla" ("many years"), and the celebrant offers sweets, coffee, or a meal rather than receiving gifts. The celebrant often attends Liturgy that morning, and many Greeks consider the name day more important than a birthday.
What if my name isn't a saint's name?
Many names without their own feast celebrate on the feast of a related saint or event — for example, names meaning "light" celebrate on the Transfiguration (August 6), and in some traditions names without a saint celebrate on All Saints Sunday, the Sunday after Pentecost. Your parish priest can help you find your patron.
Why do some names have different dates in different traditions?
Saints can be commemorated on different days in the Greek, Slavic, and Romanian traditions, and some parishes follow the Old (Julian) calendar, which runs 13 days later. This calendar follows the Greek Orthodox (Revised Julian) dates used by the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America.