Gregory (given name)

Gregory
Pope Gregory I (Gregory the Great)
Pronunciation	/ɡrɛɡəriː/
Gender	Male
Origin
Word/name	Greek via Latin
Meaning	watchful, alert
Region of origin	worldwide
Other names
Related names	Greg, Gregg, Gregor, Grégoire, Gray, Grigori, Ory, Ari, George, Craig, Graig, McGregor, MacGregor

The masculine first name Gregory derives from the Latin name "Gregorius," which came from the late Greek name "Γρηγόριος" (Grēgorios) meaning "watchful, alert" (derived from Greek "γρηγoρεῖν" "grēgorein" meaning "to watch").

Through folk etymology, the name also became associated with Latin grex (stem greg–) meaning "flock" or "herd". This association with a shepherd who diligently guides his flock contributed to the name's popularity among monks and popes.

Sixteen popes have used the name Gregorius, starting with Pope Gregory I (Gregory the Great). It is the second-most popular name for pope, after John. Because of this background, it is also a very common name for saints. Although the name was uncommon in the early 20th century, after the popularity of the actor Gregory Peck it became one of the ten most common male names in the 1950s and has remained popular since.

Name days

The Roman Catholic Church traditionally held the feast of Saint Gregory (the Great) on March 12, but changed it to September 3 in 1969. March 12 remains the name day for Gregory in most countries. Also saint Gregory.

Forms in different languages

• Albanian: Grigor
• Arabic: Jurayj (جريج) Grēgōrī (جريجوري)
• Armenian: Գրիգոր (Western Armenian: Krikor; Eastern Armenian: Grigor)
• Belarusian: Рыгор (Ryhor), Грэгары (Hrehary)
• Bengali: গ্রেগরি ( Grēgari)
• Bulgarian: Григор (Grigor)
• Catalan: Gregori
• Chinese: 格里高列 (Géléi gē lǐ), 格雷戈里 (Géléi gē lǐ)
• Croatian: Grgur, Grga or Grgo
• Czech: Řehoř
• Danish: Gregers
• Dutch: Gregoor, Gregorius
• English: Gregory, also Gregg, Greg
• Estonian: Reigo
• Faroese: Grækaris
• Finnish: Reijo
• French: Grégory or Grégoire
• Georgian: გრიგოლი (Grigoli, Grigori)
• German: Gregor
• Greek: Γρηγόριος (Grigorios, Gri̱górios, Gregorios), Γρηγόρης (Grigoris, Gregoris)
• Gujarati: ગ્રેગરી (Grēgarī)
• Hebrew: גרגורי
• Hindi: ग्रेगोरी ( Grēgōrī)
• Hungarian: Gergely or Gergő or Transylvanian: Gerő
• Icelandic: Gregor
• Indonesian: Gregorius
• Irish: Gréagóir
• Italian: Gregorio
• Japanese: Guregori (グレゴリー)
• Kannada: ಗ್ರೆಗೊರಿ, Gregori
• Korean: 그레고리, Geulegoli
• Latin: Gregorius
• Latvian: Gregors
• Lithuanian: Grigalius, Grigas or Gregoras, Gregorijus
• Macedonian: Григориј, Grigorij
• Marathi: ग्रेगोरी (Grēgōrī)
• Mongolian: Грегори, Gryegori
• Nepali: ग्रेगरी, Grēgarī
• Norwegian: Greger or Gregers
• Persian: گرگوری
• Polish: Grzegorz
• Portuguese: Gregório
• Romanian: Grigore or Gligor
• Russian: Григорий (Grigoriy, Grigori, Grigory), with diminutives Гришa (Grisha), Гришка (Grishka); Грегори (Gregori)
• Scots: Gregor
• Serbian: Grigorije (Григорије), Gligorije (Глигорије), or Grgur (Гргур)
• Slovak: Gregor
• Slovene: Grega or Gregor
• Spanish: Gregorio
• Swedish: Greger
• Tamil: கிரிகோரி, Kirikōri
• Telugu: గ్రెగొరీ, Gregorī
• Thai: เกรกอรี or เกรกกอรี (Ke rk xrī̀)
• Turkish: Krikor or Grigor
• Ukrainian: Григір (Hryhir), Григорій (Hryhoriy), Грегорі (Hrehori) Гриць(ко) (Hryts(ko))
• Urdu: گریگوری
• Welsh: Grigor
• Yiddish: גרעגאָרי, Gregori

People

Religious leaders

• Gregory the Illuminator
• Gregory Thaumaturgus (Gregory the Wonderworker)
• Gregory of Nyssa
• Gregory Nazianzus the Elder, Bishop of Nazianzus
• Gregory of Rimini
• Gregory of Utrecht
• Gregory Palamas

Popes

• Saint Gregory I "the Great" (pope 590-604), after whom the Gregorian chant is named
• Gregory II (pope 716-731)
• Gregory III (pope 731-741)
• Gregory IV (pope 827-844)
• Gregory V (pope 996-999)
• Gregory VI (pope 1044-1046)
• Gregory VII (pope 1073-1085)
• Gregory VIII (pope 1187)
• Gregory IX (pope 1227-1241)
• Gregory X (pope 1271-1276)
• Gregory XI (pope 1370-1378)
• Gregory XII (pope 1406-1415)
• Gregory XIII (pope 1572–1585), after whom the Gregorian calendar is named
• Gregory XIV (pope 1590-1591)
• Gregory XV (pope 1621-1623)
• Gregory XVI (pope 1831-1846)

Patriarchs

• Gregory Nazianzus, Patriarch of Constantinople, Saint in the Eastern Orthodox church
• Patriarch Gregory II of Constantinople
• Patriarch Gregory IV of Constantinople
• Gregory of Cappadocia, Patriarch of Alexandria
• Patriarch Gregory I of Alexandria
• Patriarch Gregory IV of Alexandria
• Patriarch Gregory V of Alexandria

Indian (Malankara) Orthodox Church

• Saint Gheevarghese Mar Gregorios of Parumala
• Gabriel Mar Gregorios, current Metropolitan

Other people

• Greg Camarillo, American football player (Minnesota Vikings) (b. 1982)
• Greg Dulli, American musician, founding member of The Afghan Whigs, The Twilight Singers, and The Gutter Twins (b. 1965)
• Greg Davies, Welsh comedian and actor (b. 1968)
• Greg Dobbs, baseball player
• Greg Fidelman, American music engineer, producer and mixer (1977)
• Greg Hartle, American football player
• Greg Kindle, American player of gridiron football
• Greg Lake, British musician, singer, and guitarist. Founding member of King Crimson and Emerson, Lake & Palmer
• Greg LeMond, American professional road bicycle racer (b. 1961)
• Greg Meffert, New Orleans technology chief
• Greg Norman, Australian golfer and entrepreneur
• Greg Luzinski, American baseball player
• Greg Maddux, American baseball player
• Greg Page, Australian musician and actor. Founding member and original lead singer of The Wiggles
• Greg Potter, American comic book writer
• Greg Rusedski, Canadian-English tennis player
• Gregg Allman, American musician (b. 1947)
• Gregg Araki, American film director
• Gregor Mendel, scientist, father of genetics (1822–1884)
• Gregor Mackintosh, lead guitarist and main composer of English doom metal band Paradise Lost
• Gregor Schlierenzauer, Austrian ski jumper (b. 1990)
• Greg Stekelman, English novelist
• Greg Tribbett, guitarist of American alternative metal band Mudvayne
• Greg Vavra, Canadian football player
• Gregório de Mattos, Brazilian poet (1636–1696)
• Gregorios Papamichael, Greek Orthodox theologian and professor (1875-1956)
• Gregory S. Baer, American lecturer and physician
• Gregory of Tours, Gallo-Roman historian
• Gregory of Narek, Armenian monk, poet, philosopher, and theologian
• Gregory of Benevento, Italian duke
• Gregory I, Duke of Naples (739 - 755)
• Gregory II, Duke of Naples (767 - 794)
• Gregory III, Duke of Naples (864 – 870)
• Gregory IV, Duke of Naples (898 – 915)
• Gregory of Nin, Christian bishop and reformer
• Gregory Asbestas, 9th-century archbishop of Syracuse
• Gregory Berrios, Puerto Rican Volleyball Player (b. 1979)
• Gregory Chamitoff, American astronaut (b. 1962)
• Gregory Charles, Canadian musician and singer (b. 1968)
• Gregory Helms, American professional wrestler (b. 1974)
• Gregory Henriquez, Canadian architect (b. 1963)
• Gregory Mertens, Belgian footballer (1991–2015)
• Gregory Peck, American actor (1916–2003)
• Gregory Rusland, Surinamese politician
• Grégory Lemarchal, French singer (1983–2007)
• Gregory Smith (b. 1986), American professional wrestler better known as Gregory Iron
• Grigori Rasputin (1869–1916) Russian mystic and healer who became an adviser for the family of the last Russian tsar.

Fictional characters

• Gregory Arkadin, protagonist of the Orson Welles film Mr. Arkadin, a.k.a. Confidential Report
• Inquisitor Gregor Eisenhorn, the title character in the novel series Eisenhorn, by Dan Abnett
• Gregory Goyle, in the Harry Potter series
• Gregory Herd, a fictional character appearing in Marvel Comics stories
• Gregory House, the main character of House
• Gregor Samsa, main character of Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis
• Gregor Clegane, in George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire
• Greg Sanders, a forensic detective in the show CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
• Gregor Vorbarra, the Emperor of the Barrayaran Imperium in Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan Saga
• Gregory Magnus, father of Helen Magnus in the Sanctuary TV series
• Gregorius Nekschot, a pseudonym of an anonymous and prosecuted Dutch cartoonist
• Gregor, the protagonist of The Underland Chronicles'
• Sergeant Gregorius, in Dan Simmons's novels Endymion and The Rise of Endymion
• Gregory, a cricket in the Dragon Ball manga and anime series
• Gregory, a young red dragon in Terry Goodkind's novel series The Sword of Truth
• Reverend Gregorius, the antagonist in Hjalmar Söderberg's novel Doctor Glas
• Gregor Malenkov, a Russian monk in the Power of Five book Necropolis
• Gregor, a beetle shaped demon, one of Lord Losses familiars in The Demonata, appears in Book 3, Slawter
• Greg Brady, the eldest son on the iconic TV show, The Brady Bunch, which ran from 1969-1974
• Detective Inspector Greg Lestrade, a character played by Rupert Graves in the BBC's Sherlock (TV series)
• Grishka, the main protagonist in René Guillot's award-winning Grishka and the Bear
• Gregory Edgeworth, a character from the video game series Ace Attorney

See also

• Gregório River (disambiguation)