9 Fabulous versions of the name George to honor the heroic saint

On April 23 the Church honors St. George, who is known for being one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers, and an impressive military saint. But of course, the saint of Greek origin is also renowned throughout the world as being a dragon slayer.

For his courageous act, he was generously rewarded by a grateful king for saving his daughter’s life. However, instead of keeping the money, he distributed his reward to the poor.

The saint, who was martyred for his faith, embodies so many qualities any parent would want for their child: faith, strength, courage, and compassion. With such virtues, his name would therefore be a wonderful choice for any newborn.

But if you’d like a slightly more unusual option, you could go for a more international variation of his name. Here are just some of the options to choose from:

The Greek version of George means “farmer,” and you might even end up calling your little chap “Gorgeous Georgios.”

This is the option that is popular among northern Europeans. You might remember this version, pronounced with hard g’s, as the name that belonged to the head of the famous musical von Trapp family. It was also borne by another great musician, the beloved brother of Benedict XVI.

If you’re after an Italian touch then look to this beautiful version, which was the second name of the inspirational Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati.

This is the version common in Spanish-speaking countries. It’s actually the moniker of a number of famous sportsmen, so perhaps your little chap will be hitting a few home runs. The Catalan version is also lovely: Jordi.

This is a cute diminutive of the name Yuriy, which is popular in Ukraine and other Eastern European countries.

An unusual option, but this variation is from the Basque country that unites parts of the north of Spain and the south of France, so has a true Mediterranean feel.

Pronounced Yor-iss, this is a popular name among the Dutch, but you might have a few pronunciation issues at first.

While at first sight you may think this name bears no resemblance to the name George, it is actually the Irish version, pronounced like Shor-shah.

This variation actually is the the name given to people from the Tyneside in northeast England. However, it is such a cute option, it could equally work as a first name for your little boy.

Read more:7 Unusual boys names from inspirational child martyrs

Read more:The real reason why St. George is a saint