Eleftherios
A masculine Greek name meaning "free" or "liberator".
Name Census estimates that about 173 living Americans carry the first name Eleftherios. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Eleftherios today is around 32 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Eleftherios births was 1980 (11 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Eleftherios. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
173
~ 1 in 1,981,239 Americans
Peak year
1980
11 babies that year
Average age
32
years old
2023 SSA rank
#11,214
Tracked since 1968
Popularity
Eleftherios: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Eleftherios from the 1960s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 48 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Eleftherios by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Eleftherios during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Eleftherios' live
Origin
Meaning and history of Eleftherios
The name Eleftherios is of Greek origin and dates back to ancient times. It is derived from the Greek word "eleftheros," which means "free" or "independent." The name was likely chosen to symbolize freedom, independence, or liberty.
In ancient Greek mythology, Eleftherios was an epithet for several deities associated with freedom, such as Zeus Eleftherios and Dionysus Eleftherios. These gods were invoked for protection against tyranny and for the preservation of individual liberties.
The earliest recorded use of the name Eleftherios can be found in ancient Greek texts and inscriptions. One notable example is the inscription on a stele from the island of Thasos, which dates back to the 4th century BCE and mentions an individual named Eleftherios.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Eleftherios. One of the most famous was Eleftherios Venizelos (1864-1936), a prominent Greek statesman and Prime Minister of Greece. He played a crucial role in the liberation of Crete from Ottoman rule and the establishment of modern Greece.
Another notable bearer of the name was Eleftherios Kyriakou Venizelou (1887-1964), a Greek historian and academic who specialized in the history of the Greek War of Independence and the formation of the modern Greek state.
In the field of literature, Eleftherios Vlachos (1868-1925) was a renowned Greek poet and playwright known for his contributions to the Demotic Greek literary movement.
In the realm of religion, Eleftherios Venizelos (1833-1908) was a Greek Orthodox monk and theologian who served as the Metropolitan Bishop of Lesbos and later as the Archbishop of Athens and All Greece.
Eleftherios Foutrides (1884-1939) was a notable Greek-American artist and painter who was part of the Ashcan School of American art and is known for his depictions of urban life in New York City.
The name Eleftherios has remained popular in Greece and among the Greek diaspora throughout history, symbolizing the enduring Greek spirit of freedom and independence.
People
Eleftherios + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Eleftherios as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with E
Other first names starting with E with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Eleftherios: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Eleftherios?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 173 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Eleftherios going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 1,981,239 US residents.
Is Eleftherios a common name?
We classify Eleftherios as "Very Rare". It ranks above 72.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 180 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Eleftherios most popular?
The single biggest year for Eleftherios was 1980, when 11 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Eleftherios is about 32 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Eleftherios a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Eleftherios in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.