When is Gregory’s name day?

Most people named Gregory keep their name day on January 25, the feast of Gregory the Theologian. The Orthodox calendar has 4 other feasts for the name.

Every feast on which Gregory is celebrated

The saints behind the name

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  Gregory the Theologian

  January 25, Great Feast, Γρηγόριος ο Θεολόγος

  St. Gregory the Theologian was born in Cappadocia in the fourth century and studied in Athens with his close friend St. Basil the Great. A man of deep prayer and unmatched eloquence, he was called to Constantinople when the city was dominated by Arianism, and through his celebrated theological orations restored the Orthodox faith in the Holy Trinity. He briefly served as Archbishop of Constantinople before withdrawing to a life of quiet and asceticism.

  Name days: Grigorios, Grigoris, Gregory, Greg, Grigoria

• 

  Gregory of Nyssa

  January 10, Hierarch, Γρηγόριος Νύσσης

  St. Gregory of Nyssa was the younger brother of St. Basil the Great, born in Cappadocia in the fourth century to a family rich in saints. As Bishop of Nyssa he defended the Nicene faith against Arianism, endured exile for the truth, and took part in the Second Ecumenical Council in Constantinople in 381.

  Name days: Grigorios, Grigoris, Gregory, Grzegorz

• 

  Three Holy Hierarchs

  January 30, Great Feast, Τρεις Ιεράρχαι

  The feast of the Three Holy Hierarchs honors together Sts. Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, and John Chrysostom, the great fathers and ecumenical teachers of the Church. According to tradition, the common feast was established in the eleventh century after disputes arose in Constantinople over which of the three was greatest; the hierarchs made known in a vision that they are one before God, and a shared commemoration was appointed.

  Name days: Basil, Gregory, John, Vasilis, Grigoris, Giannis

The other feasts are listed in the table above, each with a link to the saint’s life.

Also celebrating on January 25

These names share the feast, many of them other forms of the same name:

Grigorios, Grigoris, Greg, Grigoria

What to say on a name day

The Greek wish is Χρόνια Πολλά (Chronia Polla), “many years.” A call or a short message on the day is what people remember. See name day wishes you can send and what a name day is.