Hatzi

Hatzi- or Chatzi- (Greek: Χατζη-) is a prefix of Greek family names. It derives ultimately from the Arabic Hajji, denoting one who has successfully completed a pilgrimage.

In a Christian context, the title designates a person who has visited Jerusalem and the Holy Land and was baptised in the Jordan River. Thus, someone whose family name was previously "Dimitriou" would be called "Hatzidimitriou" after that. The change of the name is not obligatory for the traveller or the family as a whole but it is an honour and many cases of family name alterations have been noted.

This honorific title exists among the Slavic Orthodox Christians as well in the form hadži (written in Bulgarian хаджи and Serbian хаџи).

The stand-alone form of the surname is Hatzis, or Chatzis.

See also

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Thursday, February 25, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.