You are simply Cosmas! Why do so many Greeks have such strange surnames?translated

Starting from the 18th century, a considerable number of Greek families took the surname Kosmas, which sounded interesting to the Russian ear. And the whole point is that in the Greek tradition - to choose the name of a revered saint as a hereditary surname. The surname Cosmas literally means "descendant of Cosmas" or "connected with Cosmas." And Saint Cosmas is very loved in Greece.

Natalya KHARPALEVA

Portrait of Cosmas of Aitolia. Kostas Malamos. Athens

Equal to the Apostles Cosmas of Aitolia (1714–1779) was an Orthodox priest, missionary and educator during the era of the Ottoman Empire. He is called Aetolian because he was born in Aetolia, one of the regions of Central Greece.

Cosmas preached in the Balkans at a time when Orthodox Greeks, under Turkish rule, either fled the country or were driven out of the cities and fertile plains. In the mountains, the Greeks sometimes almost went wild, forgot their language, their faith, the history of their people, and entire families and villages converted to Islam. In Greek villages, churches and schools were closed, libraries were burned and destroyed, and people were afraid to even leave the village because robbers ruled the mountains. Poverty, fear and despair gripped the Greeks for many decades.

Cosma,...