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Anargyros

A Greek masculine given name meaning without money or taking no payment, rooted in the title of the Holy Unmercenaries.

Last updated: 2026-08-05

Anargyros is a Greek masculine given name, written Ανάργυρος. Its underlying word can mean “without money” or “not accepting money.” In Christian usage it became a title for saints, especially healers, who served without taking payment; that religious sense is the most useful explanation of the personal name.

The very literal rendering “without silver” shows how the word is built, but it can mislead. The name does not describe a bearer as poor, identify a silversmith, or indicate that the bearer is descended from a physician or saint.

Meaning and Linguistic Formation

The Greek term ἀνάργυρος (anargyros) combines the negative prefix an- with argyros, “silver” and, by extension, “money.” Merriam-Webster’s historical note gives the resulting senses “without money” and “not accepting money.” The Georgacas dictionary entry in the Centre for the Greek Language’s portal likewise defines the Modern Greek adjective as “without money, penniless” and traces it through Medieval and Ancient Greek.

Those dictionary senses need context when applied to the name. In ordinary language, the word may refer to having no money. In its ecclesiastical use, however, it describes someone who does not take money for a service. English unmercenary is a traditional translation of that second idea: it means “not working for payment,” not “a person outside military service.”

From Religious Title to Personal Name

In Orthodox usage, the plural Anargyroi appears in the title Agioi Anargyroi, “Holy Unmercenaries.” It is a category or epithet, not the birth name of one particular saint. Cosmas and Damian are the best-known examples, but different pairs bearing those names are commemorated in the Orthodox calendar. The Orthodox Church in America’s account of Cosmas and Damian explains that they were called unmercenary physicians because they did not accept payment, and distinguishes the pair commemorated on November 1 from pairs commemorated on July 1 and October 17.

The singular word supplied the masculine personal name Anargyros. Behind the Name’s Anargyros entry classifies it as Greek and masculine, gives the Greek spelling Ανάργυρος, and associates Greek name days with July 1 and November 1. Calendar practice can vary, so those dates should be understood as associations with commemorations of the Unmercenaries rather than as part of the name’s literal meaning.

Documented Historical Use

Historical regional evidence confirms use of the personal name. F. D. Apostolopoulos and E. Andreadis included it in their scholarly survey of the baptismal names of Greek Orthodox Christians in Cappadocia, published in 1977 from material that included community codices and the archives of the Centre for Asia Minor Studies. Their list records Anargyros at Guelveri and Floita and explicitly identifies its origin as hagiological—that is, derived from the tradition of saints.

The same study records several local or gendered forms: Anargyra at Arabissos, Anargyrou at Sazalca, Anaria at Sinasos, and Anargias at Silata. These are valuable evidence of regional Greek naming practice, but they should not all be treated as interchangeable modern spellings. The article documents them in particular Cappadocian communities; it does not establish one universal set of variants or a single family line.

This evidence also illustrates the route from religious vocabulary to a baptismal name. It does not establish the first person ever called Anargyros, and it should not be used to project the modern spelling unchanged back into antiquity.

Greek Spelling, Pronunciation, and Romanization

The Modern Greek form is Ανάργυρος, pronounced approximately ah-NAR-yee-ros, with the stress on NAR. A more exact phonemic transcription is /aˈnaɾ.ʝi.ɾos/. The pronunciation explains why an English speaker may hear a sound closer to y in the middle even though the established romanized spelling contains gy.

Anargyros is a systematic letter-based romanization. The ALA-LC Greek romanization table maps Greek gamma to g, upsilon to y, and omits the written accent, producing Anargyros from Ανάργυρος. Greece’s official passport transcription tool uses the ELOT 743 standard, equivalent to ISO 843. Personal documents can preserve a different Latin spelling; such a spelling should be copied as evidence, not silently replaced with a standardized form.

Anargyroi is the Greek plural used for the saintly group, not an alternative singular given name. Argyros and Argyris share the element connected with silver, but they omit the negative prefix and should not be presented as exact equivalents of Anargyros. Likewise, Anagyros, without the first r, is a different spelling and should not be merged with Anargyros without evidence from the same person’s records.

Given Name, Surname, and Genealogy

The evidence above establishes Anargyros as a masculine given name, but exact family-name use also exists. For example, the European Court of Human Rights lists a Greek applicant as Konstantinos ANARGYROS in the annex to its 2017 judgment in *Singh and Others v. Greece*. One documented surname bearer does not show that surname use is common or explain how a particular family acquired it.

In a Greek or migration record, retain the original name order, field labels, and Greek spelling before deciding whether Anargyros is the person’s given name or hereditary surname. A database position alone is not an etymology.

Etymology explains why the name entered Greek naming tradition; it does not connect all bearers genealogically. Sharing this name, honoring the same saints, or using another Argyr- name is not evidence of descent from one ancestor.

References