Armenian2 syllablesSaint's name
Meaning: watchful; vigilant.
Grigor
| Origin | Armenian — Գրիգոր, taken from Greek Grēgorios and in Armenian use since late antiquity |
|---|---|
| Meaning | Watchful, from Greek grēgorein (to be awake, to keep watch), built on the stem of egeirein, to rouse |
| Pronunciation | gree-GOR — two syllables, stress on the second, the r's tapped |
| Popularity | Outside the current U.S. top 100; a standing name in Armenia, and, spelled Krikor, throughout the diaspora |
| Variants | Gregory, Krikor and Kerkor (Western Armenian), Gregorio, Grzegorz, Grigori, Grigore |
| Nicknames | Grish and Grisha in Armenia; Krikor has produced Kirk in American usage |
| Place | Khor Virap, the monastery above the pit where Gregory the Illuminator was held for thirteen years |
History & meaning
This is the name the rest of the Armenian Christian stock hangs from. Grigor Lusavorich, Gregory the Illuminator, was held in a pit at what is now Khor Virap for some thirteen years, converted King Trdat III on his release, and saw Armenia adopt Christianity as its state religion in 301 — traditionally the first nation anywhere to do so. The cathedral he founded at Echmiadzin is still the seat of the Armenian Apostolic Church, and its head still carries a title, Catholicos, that predates most of Europe's dioceses.
The word itself is Greek. Grēgorios comes from grēgorein, to be awake or keep watch, and reached Armenian the way most church vocabulary did, straight from Greek rather than through Latin. Later Grigors filled the country's intellectual history: Grigor Narekatsi, the monk-poet behind Narek; Grigor Magistros, the eleventh-century scholar who translated Euclid; Grigor Tatevatsi, the great teacher of the medieval university at Tatev. Western Armenian pronounces the same letters Krikor, which is how the name travelled to America, and how Kerkor Kerkorian of Fresno came to be known as Kirk.
Why parents choose it
Grigor is chosen for weight rather than sound. It is the founding name of Armenian Christianity, it needs no explaining to a priest or a grandmother, and it survives contact with English intact because Gregory is already there waiting. Two firm syllables, no silent letters, no spelling argument.
Middle names for Grigor
The clipped end of Grigor takes a longer, softer second name: Grigor Nerses, Grigor Matthew, Grigor Vahe, Grigor Zaven. Our middle names guide sets out the rhythm rules behind pairings like these.
Famous Grigors
Grigor Narekatsi (c. 951–1003) is the towering one, a mystic whose prayer book has never gone out of use. Grigor Tatevatsi taught and wrote at Tatev in the fourteenth century. In living memory, the businessman Kirk Kerkorian was born Kerkor Kerkorian, and the Bulgarian tennis player Grigor Dimitrov carries the same spelling from a different Orthodox tradition.
Consider instead
If you want the English original, Gregory gives you Greg and the whole papal line. Narek points at the same saint's most famous namesake with a lighter touch, and Sargis keeps the fourth-century church register while sounding nothing like Gregory.