Where the name “Greece” comes from

[nadellii]

Many people might be surprised to find out that Greek people don’t actually call Greece, “Greece.” They use the word Hellas/Hellada. this is the word for Greece, in the native tongue. Greece comes from the Latin word “Graecia” which was first used by the Romans. It then spread all across the world, which is why many different countries called Greece, Greece instead of Hellada.

 

[ellinasgolfer0320]

Yup, Hellas (Ellas / Ελλάς) is the actual name of Greece, Hellenes (Ellines / Έλληνες) are the people, and Hellenic (Ellinika / Ελληνικά) is the language. I'm not sure where Hellada (Ellada / Ελλάδα) comes from even though it's more commonly used than Hellas when speaking Greek.

 

[nadellii]

Yup, Hellas (Ellas / Ελλάς) is the actual name of Greece, Hellenes (Ellines / Έλληνες) are the people, and Hellenic (Ellinika / Ελληνικά) is the language. I'm not sure where Hellada (Ellada / Ελλάδα) comes from even though it's more commonly used than Hellas when speaking Greek.

Yes, the only time I hear “Hellas” spoken is at sporting events when people say “Hellas Ole”

 

[ilove12345678969]

The English name Greece and the similar adaptations in other languages derive from the Latin name Graecia (Greek: Γραικία), literally meaning 'the land of the Greeks', which was used by Ancient Romans to denote the area of modern-day Greece.You can search on google also

Shakti Peethas

 

[k_tsoukalas]

Many people might be surprised to find out that Greek people don’t actually call Greece, “Greece.” They use the word Hellas/Hellada. this is the word for Greece, in the native tongue. Greece comes from the Latin word “Graecia” which was first used by the Romans. It then spread all across the world, which is why many different countries called Greece, Greece instead of Hellada.

Yes! The "Greek word" for Greece is totally different. Hellada is where the word, Hellenic, comes from. This is a fun tidbit! Many people don't realize it.

 

[amygdalE]

Many people might be surprised to find out that Greek people don’t actually call Greece, “Greece.” They use the word Hellas/Hellada. this is the word for Greece, in the native tongue. Greece comes from the Latin word “Graecia” which was first used by the Romans. It then spread all across the world, which is why many different countries called Greece, Greece instead of Hellada.

It is true that, speaking of words, the English Greece comes from the Latin Graecia, but this word is < Gr. Graikia, the land of the Graikoi. In ancient times, specific ethnic names were used, IN GREEK, for the generic "/greeks/", namely Akheoi, Iaones, Graikoi, etc., and Aristotle mentions the equivalence of Graikoi and Hellenes. // It is hard to tell when Hellas or Hellespont were coined and when they came in general use in the Greek oikoumene [from Asia Minor to Magna Graecia].

 

[amygdalE]

Yup, Hellas (Ellas / Ελλάς) is the actual name of Greece, Hellenes (Ellines / Έλληνες) are the people, and Hellenic (Ellinika / Ελληνικά) is the language. I'm not sure where Hellada (Ellada / Ελλάδα) comes from even though it's more commonly used than Hellas when speaking Greek.

I do not know either where or when HELLADA comes from, but I know that the genitive case of the ancient HELLAS is hellados -- the obvious basis of the mystery word.