Gregory

The name Gregory comes from the Greek Gregōrios, derived from the verb “gregōrien” meaning ‘watchful, vigilant’. In Latin, the name Gregorius has been in use for well over 1,500 years. The name was adopted by early Christians heedful of the Biblical passage located in 1 Peter 5:8, “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” Like Benedictus (meaning ‘blessed’) and Boniface (meaning ‘good fate’), Gregorius has been a heavily used name among Roman Catholic popes (16 of them, in fact!). There were also many highly revered early saints named Gregorius which helped to popularize the name during the Middle Ages. Gregory of Nazianzus was a 4th century Archbishop of Constantinople in the early days of the Roman Empire’s institutionalization of Christianity. He is most notable for shaping the theology around the Holy Trinity as well as synthesizing Hellenistic culture and philosophy into Christianity. Also, Gregory the Great was a 6th century pope known as a Doctor of the Church and a prolific Church theologian, writer and reformer. Gregory was a name mainly introduced into England after the Norman Conquest of the 12th century; however, it existed in Scotland prior as Griogar, the Gaelic form of Gregorius. The Scottish clan MacGregor (son of Griogar) arguably dates back to the first king of Scotland and the ancient Picts. As such, the names Gregory or Gregor had been particularly popular in Scotland.