Gregory
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- This article refers to the name, Gregory. For the car manufacturer, see Gregory (car manufacturer).
Gregory is a common masculine first name and family name. It is derived from the Latin Gregorius, from the late Greek name Gregorios, from gregoros, meaning "watchful, alert."
Through folk etymology, the name also became associated with grex and gregis ("flock" and "herd"). The associations with a shepherd who diligently guides his flock is part of the reason that the name has been popular with monks, priests and popes.
There have been 16 popes with the name, starting with Pope Gregory I (Gregory the Great). It is the second-most popular name for popes, along with Benedict, after John. Because of this background, it is also a very common name for saints. Although the name was uncommon in the early 20th century, after the popularity of the actor Gregory Peck it became one of the ten most common male names in the 1950s and has remained popular since.
Common nicknames are Greg or Gregg.
Translations
- Grégory or Grégoire (French)
- Gregor (German)
- Γρηγόρης (Gregores) (Greek)
- Gregorio (Italian)
- Gregorius (Latin)
- Grzegorz (Polish)
- Gergely (Hungarian)
- Gregorio (Spanish)
- Grega or Gregor (Slovene)
- Greger (Swedish)
- Григорий (Grigorii) (Russian)
People
Religious leaders
- Gregory the Illuminator, (Gregory the Wonderworker)
- Gregory of Nyssa
- Gregory Nazianzus, Patriarch of Constantinople
- Gregory of Utrecht
- Patriarch Gregory II of Contanstinople
- Patriarch Gregory III of Contanstinople
- Patriarch Gregory IV of Contanstinople
- Gregory of Cappadocia, Patriarch of Alexandria
- Patriarch Gregory I of Alexandria
- Patriarch Gregory II of Alexandria
- Patriarch Gregory III of Alexandria
- Patriarch Gregory IV of Alexandria
- Patriarch Gregory V of Alexandria
Popes
- Saint Gregory I (Gregory the Great), (pope 590-604, after whom the Gregorian chant is named)
- Gregory II, (pope 716-731)
- Gregory III, (pope 731-741)
- Gregory IV, (pope 827-844)
- Gregory V, (pope 996-999)
- Gregory VI, (pope 1044-1046)
- Gregory VII, (pope 1073-1085)
- Gregory VIII, (pope 1187)
- Gregory IX, (pope 1227-1241)
- Gregory X, (pope 1271-1276)
- Gregory XI, (pope 1370-1378)
- Gregory XII, (pope 1406-1409)
- Gregory XIII, (pope 1582-1585, after whom the Gregorian calendar is named)
- Gregory XIV, (pope 1590-1591)
- Gregory XV, (pope 1621-1623)
- Gregory XVI, (pope 1831-1846)
Other people
- David Gregory, Scottish mathematician
- Dick Gregory, American comedian, social activist, writer, and entrepreneur
- James Gregory, Scottish mathematician and astronomer
- Francis Gregory, American naval captain, eponym of two ships named USS Gregory
- Philippa Gregory, Kenyan-English writer
- David Gregory, American journalist
- Olinthus Gregory, English mathematician
- Thomas Watt Gregory, American Attorney General
- John Gregory, English football (soccer) manager
- Dave Gregory, Australian cricketer
- T. Ryan Gregory, Canadian scientist
- Dave Gregory, guitarist for XTC
- Gregory of Tours, historian
- Gregory Bateson, British social scientist
- Gregory Campbell, Northern Irish unionist politician
- Gregory Durham, gay rights activist
- Gregory Hines, tap dancer and actor
- Gregory Mathews, Australian ornithologist
- Gregory Peck, actor
- Gregory Vlastos, scholar of ancient philosophy
Others
- The Scottish clan McGregor means "descendant of Gregory."