A Georgian name is rarely just a name. Behind most of them sits a saint, a medieval king, or an old word for light, and Georgians tend to know exactly which. For a country this size to have held onto its own alphabet, its own church, and its own kings, the names are a short history lesson you can carry around.
The most common Georgian names
These are the names you will actually meet in Tbilisi, from the man fixing your boiler to half the children in any classroom.
from Saint George, the patron saint of Georgia. The most common male name
from Saint Nino, the Cappadocian woman who brought Christianity to Georgia
from Hebrew meaning 'palm tree'. Name of the famous 12th-century Georgian King (Queen) Tamar
from Hebrew David meaning 'beloved'. Name of Georgia's greatest king, David the Builder
Georgian form of Mary, meaning 'bitter' or 'beloved'. Highly popular due to the Virgin Mary
from Latin Lucas, meaning 'from Lucania'. A very popular modern boy's name
short for Nikoloz (Nicholas), meaning 'victory of the people'
Georgian form of Anna, from Hebrew meaning 'grace' or 'favor'
from Aramaic meaning 'old man' or 'grandfather'. Name of Saint Sabbas
Georgian form of Barbara, meaning 'foreign woman'. Associated with Saint Barbara
from Hebrew shalom meaning 'peace'
Georgian form of Heracles, meaning 'glory of Hera'. Name of a famous Georgian king
of Greek origin meaning 'victor' or 'winner'. Name of a prominent Georgian monk and general
Georgian form of Helen, meaning 'torch' or 'moon'
short for Aleksandre, meaning 'defender of men'
Georgian form of Matthew, meaning 'gift of God'
short form of names ending in -nia, or meaning 'purpose' / 'bright'
from the Svan language meaning 'light' or 'bright'
Georgian form of Katherine, meaning 'pure'. Often shortened to Keti
Georgian diminutive of Natela, meaning 'light' or 'bright'
The patterns behind them
Two saints tower over the list. Giorgi comes from Saint George, who is so woven into the country that the English name Georgia may itself trace back to him. Nino comes from Saint Nino, the woman who brought Christianity to Georgia in the fourth century. Between them they have probably named more Georgians than any other pair of words.
After the saints come the kings. Tamar and Davit belong to the medieval golden age, to Queen Tamar and to David the Builder, and parents still reach for them a thousand years later. The rest carry old meanings of light and brightness, Lasha, Natia, Elene, which is a quietly lovely thing to name a child.
Write your name in Georgian
Georgian does not borrow your spelling, it borrows your sound. Michael becomes მაიკლ, not a letter-for-letter copy, because the script follows the ear. Type your name below to see how it usually comes out.
We list 341 common names, checked against standard Georgian usage. Georgian writes foreign names by sound, so spellings can vary by person.
If your name is not on the list, that is the honest answer rather than a wrong guess. The better fix is the alphabet itself. It is famously learnable in an afternoon, and once the 33 letters click you can write any name, yours included. Our first lesson is free, and the free alphabet video gets you reading on day one.
