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ArchivesRe: Meaning of Kontaris
in reply to a message by Jim Young
Yeah, I'd thought Kontaris might come from the root "kontòs" (small, short) too, plus Kontos is also a Greek last name - in a way it corresponds to the English last name Short.
Is it possible that the suffix -aris has a patronimic/matronimic sense? Or maybe it's just a pet form of Kontos? I noticed this suffix is quite common in Greek last names, also in the ones coming from personal names (Giannaris, Markaris, Vasilaris, etc).
Is it possible that the suffix -aris has a patronimic/matronimic sense? Or maybe it's just a pet form of Kontos? I noticed this suffix is quite common in Greek last names, also in the ones coming from personal names (Giannaris, Markaris, Vasilaris, etc).
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Those surnames from given names do make a strong case for -aris being a patronymic ending. It doesn't get mentioned in any listing of Greek surname endings - -opoulos, -ides/-iades, etc. Could it have been overlooked?
Kontaris would then be something like "son of Shorty"!
Kontaris would then be something like "son of Shorty"!
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Yeah, that's what I thought too!
I guess the suffix -aris has really been overlooked in the listings of Greek surname endings, maybe it's just because it is less common than some other popular endings like -opoulos, -ides/-iades, -ou, etc. For example, other Greek surnames are Kontopoulos, Kontides, Kontou, etc, all of them meaning "son of Shorty" in a way.
Thanks for your help, Jim!
I guess the suffix -aris has really been overlooked in the listings of Greek surname endings, maybe it's just because it is less common than some other popular endings like -opoulos, -ides/-iades, -ou, etc. For example, other Greek surnames are Kontopoulos, Kontides, Kontou, etc, all of them meaning "son of Shorty" in a way.
Thanks for your help, Jim!
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