Greek spells foreign names by how they sound, not letter for letter, using the 24-letter Greek alphabet. That is why David becomes Ντέιβιντ rather than Δαβιδ: Modern Greek reads β as "v" and δ as the "th" in "this", so other letters stand in for B and D. Common names use the spelling you would see in Greek news and subtitles; others are sounded out without accent marks.
Popular Names in Greek
| Name | Greek |
|---|---|
| Emma | Έμμα |
| Olivia | Ολίβια |
| Sophia | Σοφία |
| Charlotte | Σάρλοτ |
| Grace | Γκρέις |
| Liam | Λίαμ |
| Noah | Νόα |
| James | Τζέιμς |
| Michael | Μάικλ |
| Jack | Τζακ |
| Harry | Χάρι |
| David | Ντέιβιντ |
| Daniel | Ντάνιελ |
| Smith | Σμιθ |
| Brooklyn | Μπρούκλιν |
Letters That Stand In for English Sounds
Greek pairs letters for sounds it has no single letter for.
- μπ = B (Μπράιαν Brian)
- ντ = D (Ντάνιελ Daniel)
- γκ = hard G (Γκρέις Grace)
- τζ = J (Τζον John)
Some Greek letters cover English letter pairs.
- θ = th (Σμιθ Smith)
- φ = f or ph (Σοφία Sophia)
- ξ = x or ks (Μαξ Max)
- ψ = ps
These get the nearest match.
- H becomes χ or disappears (Χάρι Harry)
- SH becomes σ (Σάρλοτ Charlotte)
- W becomes ου (Ουίλιαμ William)
Ντέιβιντ — David, as Greek speakers say it
Two small rules finish a name. Sigma has a special final form, ς, used only at the end of a word (Τζέιμς). And Greek marks the stressed syllable with a single accent, the tonos, which the monotonic system has used since 1982. Sounded-out names in this tool leave the accent off, because placing it needs a native speaker's ear.
Common Questions
Is a Greek-letter name the same as its Greek version?
Not always. Many names have a traditional Greek form as well as a sound-based spelling: Michael can be Μάικλ (how an English Michael is written) or Μιχάλης (the Greek name). This tool gives the sound-based spelling of your name.
Why isn't B written with beta?
In Modern Greek β is pronounced "v", so writing Brian with β would read "Vrian". Greek uses μπ for the B sound instead, and ντ for D.
How do I write my name in capital Greek letters?
Capitalise each letter and drop the accent: Έμμα becomes ΕΜΜΑ. Greek all-caps text normally leaves accents off.