☺️ A DIFFERENT NAMING CONVENTION ☺️
Surnames in Cyprus used to be applied quite differently before the island became a British Colony. A surname was traditionally not viewed as a generic family name, instead, it was simply an extension of the patriarch’s first name.
As Cypriots took their father’s first names as their surname, family surnames changed with each generation. The limited supply of first names also meant that there were several common Cypriot surnames in place by the time the British took over and then changed everything.
Changing surnames with each generation promptly stopped after the arrival of the British. Almost all Cypriots adopted the British system of naming conventions. Slowly over time, their surname was kept in place, becoming a family surname in line with British practices. Several Cypriot surnames today, because of this, still refer to a Cypriot first name.
This also applies to the most common Cypriot surname currently in circulation. The surname of Georgiou etymologically derives from the name Georgio or George. Interestingly, this name also has a deep-rooted meaning that stretches beyond a simple first name. Georgio derives from the words ‘gi’, which translates to ‘land’ or ‘earth’, and ‘ergo’, which translates to ‘work’. This means that Georgio describes a ‘land or earth worker’, which is a descriptive phrase for a farmer! This was perhaps the most widespread profession throughout Cyprus in years gone by.
