CYRIAC Family History Project entry portal

appears to be the most ancient, accurate and widespread form of our Greek family name that we've discovered, so far. It appears throughout the world and, along with its close variation , represents the largest number of individuals with those spellings in the Ellis Island (USA) immigration records - each spelling representing hundreds of immigrants to the USA - versus only dozens for the largest of some of the other spellings. is the Anglicized version of the Greek that appears to have been inscribed in stone in the ancient catacombs of Rome in the 3rd century. Those inscriptions carved on behalf of some of the most highly regarded individuals of the era buried therein. The Greek language was to the ancient Roman Empire what English is to our modern world. It was a Greek world, after all (at least around the Mediterranean), before the Romans came on the scene to begin (re)conquering it all over again. Up until the 2nd century or so, Roman citizens didn't even get involved in the mechanics of business operations - they just owned the land and other capital assets and rented them out to others. Greeks continued running the 'business world' for several centuries. So quite naturally, Greek was the common language used in everyday commerce and Greek businesses were predominant. Feb. 16, 2009 - Ben Ciriacks suspects that all branches of our family are connected going back at least 2,000 years. An Inheritance Chart prepared through Genetic Genealogy DNA testing will verfify that supposition once DNA testing is begun. Contacts with families in Greece might lead to some MAIN BRANCH genealogy already extant that goes back a couple thousand years or more. Thousands of "possible" variations of the spelling of our family name are detailed at our local spelling variations pages. Go there to see where a branch may be concentrated or where various references have been found. Go to our local spelling changes page to read about how some of those changes occurred. [ First name references are included in order to minimize repeated visits to the sites where they appear in an attempt to find last name references. Most can be presumed to be unrelated to our family history but do prove the popularity of the name throughout the world. In 2007, it was discovered that there are more than 400 churches dedicated to St. Cyriakus/Cyriacus in Germany, alone.] It appears that each spelling may spawn at least one alternative every century. Given that our most ancient KYRIAKOU surname began at least 20 centuries ago, that would mean 2 in the 1st century, 4 in the second, 8 in the 3rd until we reach more than 2 million in the most recent 21st century. Not all those surname variations resulted in continuous male lines carrying the surname forward, of course. Many variations involved female descendents who lost their name in favor of their husband's family name. Some distant cousins married to rejoin disparate branches. Some females did not marry but kept the family name and began a whole separate branch with female versus male DNA characteristics. And, some centuries DID spawn more than two alternative spellings. Suffice it to say, that when it comes to surname research, no stone should be left unturned - almost anything is possible when in comes to variations in the spelling of surnames. (Many oddball spellings arise during migrations when the written form of the name is known but not the phonetic pronunciation - then the original spelling becomes lost to one associated to the new pronunciation under the linquistic conventions for that new locale.) (The following is a work in progress as of August 19th, 2010 - it has yet to be redacted for redundancy, relevance and placement to the rest of the discussion in this portal page. It represents the oldest version of the narrative contained on this page.) An index of Roman names and naming conventions (http://www.fairacre.demon.co.uk/Ancient-World/Rome/Rome.htm) indicates that Cyriacus was one used in commemoration of famous battles or war campaigns?! It also reflects Cyricus, without the 'a', as a ?nickname? used in ancient times. One online site has ... Greek* kyriake, meaning "belonging to the Lord (kyrios)," from which the English word "church" is derived.* My preference is to replace "belonging to" with "dedicated to" - making the meaning associated more with people than objects. Regardless of the ancient meaning, it appeared in early writings to imply "of the Lord" or the Lord's (day) -- eventually evolving into Sunday, the Sunday child, etc. If the name appeared before Christianity, then the Lord referred to the Master, Chief, Headman or other male leader. If the name is found only after the birth of Christ, then it's reference is to the Lord, Jesus Christ and Christianity. [ If the latter, then it's also possible that the meaning could have implied that the earliest Christians were thought of in the mentality of the time as "slaves of Christ". ] We've yet to find anything referring to the name before around 64 A.D. (There has been little, if any, research done 'by this family history project' on the name in ancient Greece, in Greek or otherwise, so the lack of any discovery earlier than 64 A.D. is not significant.) The earliest written (inscribed in stone) reference to the name found, so far, is represented in the image file that can be seen to the right when one places the mouse over that or this link. That and similar 'Greek' inscriptions were placed next to burial sites in the underground catacombs from the late 2nd to the early 4th centuries when Christianity was illegal and forced underground both figuratively and literally. The inscription shown is assumed to be from the latter period of time when Christianity was 'de facto' if not 'de jure' legal in Rome - thereby motivating the pagan 'powers that be' of the time to be especially harsh against Rome and its mostly Christian citizens in the first decade of the 4th century. Eventually, especially after the FINAL Great Persecution (303~309ą) by Diocletian at the beginning of the 4th century, Latin became more 'official' than Greek. The latinized form of the feminine Cyriaca is Domnica/Dominica. This means that, if the name didn't appear before the first century, it may have been used to identify individuals dedicating themselves to Jesus Christ, "the Lord" and Christianity. After the apostles but before the priests or presbyters, there may have been Christians called Cyriaca or Cyriacus who were so active in the movement that their de facto title evolved into their de jure family name. That the Apostle Paul visited and evangelized in Corinth, Greece is a fact - whether he connected with already extant Cyriac Family members or began the process where the Cyriac or Kyriacou term began referring to his converts is another mystery in need of resolution. [ It also appears that the pre-4th century, 'illegal', Rome based Church was Greek oriented - with almost all of the Rome based adherents thereto dying before 310 A.D. The 'legal' Rome based Church, rebuilt upon the ashes of its predecessor from 313 onward, was Latinized from inception. As indicated previously, not much has been researched about how the Greek Orthodox Church fared before, during and after the FINAL Great Persecution of 303 ~ 310 A.D. One thing seems obvious though: more individuals with variations of the Cyriac surname are referenced by the Greek and other eastern rite churches than the Roman and western rite churches. ] Or, maybe there existed, long before Christianity, families with the Greek last name of Kyriakos?! In either case, it's highly probable that we are descended from families with the last name already extant as of the 3rd century A.D. Much of the information gathered and summarized at this web site is contained in much more detail at other web sites - links to those sites are indicated where appropriate. If all else fails, use and the other search engines to find the latest information on any subject. Local links to other pages at this web site can be found in any of the various menu boxes located on almost every page. [ 2/17/2009: Many of the external links found a decade or more ago may no longer work and are replaced or eliminated as they are discovered - look inside the source .HTML file to see some old dead links that may help find a replacement site. Linking accuracy is a continuous and lengthy process that can consume all of one's time and energy. Even many of the 'cached' pages at Google can no longer be found. Eventually, someone like Google or Wikipedia will dedicate a server to old dead links where us Webmasters can place the new link locations so that the flow of information on the internet can remain seamless to users. Larger type is used at this web site in order to help those who, like this webmaster have become senior citizens with eyesight not as effective as when we were in our prime. Unlike commercial sites where most of the small type goes unread, the pages at this site are meant to be read in their entirety - especially by those unfamiliar with our family history.
MODERN BEGINNINGS OF OUR FAMILY HISTORY PROJECT

appears to be the most ancient, accurate and widespread form of our Greek family name that we've discovered, so far. It appears throughout the world and, along with its close variation , represents the largest number of individuals with those spellings in the Ellis Island (USA) immigration records - each spelling representing hundreds of immigrants to the USA - versus only dozens for the largest of some of the other spellings.
is the Anglicized version of the Greek that appears to have been inscribed in stone in the ancient catacombs of Rome in the 3rd century. Those inscriptions carved on behalf of some of the most highly regarded individuals of the era buried therein.

The Greek language was to the ancient Roman Empire what English is to our modern world. It was a Greek world, after all (at least around the Mediterranean), before the Romans came on the scene to begin (re)conquering it all over again. Up until the 2nd century or so, Roman citizens didn't even get involved in the mechanics of business operations - they just owned the land and other capital assets and rented them out to others. Greeks continued running the 'business world' for several centuries. So quite naturally, Greek was the common language used in everyday commerce and Greek businesses were predominant.
Feb. 16, 2009 - Ben Ciriacks suspects that all branches of our family are connected going back at least 2,000 years. An Inheritance Chart prepared through Genetic Genealogy DNA testing will verfify that supposition once DNA testing is begun. Contacts with families in Greece might lead to some MAIN BRANCH genealogy already extant that goes back a couple thousand years or more.

Thousands of "possible" variations of the spelling of our family name are detailed at our local spelling variations pages. Go there to see where a branch may be concentrated or where various references have been found. Go to our local spelling changes page to read about how some of those changes occurred.
[ First name references are included in order to minimize repeated visits to the sites where they appear in an attempt to find last name references. Most can be presumed to be unrelated to our family history but do prove the popularity of the name throughout the world. In 2007, it was discovered that there are more than 400 churches dedicated to St. Cyriakus/Cyriacus in Germany, alone.]

It appears that each spelling may spawn at least one alternative every century. Given that our most ancient KYRIAKOU surname began at least 20 centuries ago, that would mean 2 in the 1st century, 4 in the second, 8 in the 3rd until we reach more than 2 million in the most recent 21st century. Not all those surname variations resulted in continuous male lines carrying the surname forward, of course. Many variations involved female descendents who lost their name in favor of their husband's family name. Some distant cousins married to rejoin disparate branches. Some females did not marry but kept the family name and began a whole separate branch with female versus male DNA characteristics.
And, some centuries DID spawn more than two alternative spellings. Suffice it to say, that when it comes to surname research, no stone should be left unturned - almost anything is possible when in comes to variations in the spelling of surnames. (Many oddball spellings arise during migrations when the written form of the name is known but not the phonetic pronunciation - then the original spelling becomes lost to one associated to the new pronunciation under the linquistic conventions for that new locale.)
(The following is a work in progress as of August 19th, 2010 - it has yet to be redacted for redundancy, relevance and placement to the rest of the discussion in this portal page. It represents the oldest version of the narrative contained on this page.)
An index of Roman names and naming conventions (http://www.fairacre.demon.co.uk/Ancient-World/Rome/Rome.htm) indicates that Cyriacus was one used in commemoration of famous battles or war campaigns?! It also reflects Cyricus, without the 'a', as a ?nickname? used in ancient times.
One online site has
... Greek kyriake, meaning "belonging to the Lord (kyrios)," from which the English word "church" is derived.
My preference is to replace "belonging to" with "dedicated to" - making the meaning associated more with people than objects. Regardless of the ancient meaning, it appeared in early writings to imply "of the Lord" or the Lord's (day) -- eventually evolving into Sunday, the Sunday child, etc. If the name appeared before Christianity, then the Lord referred to the Master, Chief, Headman or other male leader. If the name is found only after the birth of Christ, then it's reference is to the Lord, Jesus Christ and Christianity. [ If the latter, then it's also possible that the meaning could have implied that the earliest Christians were thought of in the mentality of the time as "slaves of Christ". ]
We've yet to find anything referring to the name before around 64 A.D. (There has been little, if any, research done 'by this family history project' on the name in ancient Greece, in Greek or otherwise, so the lack of any discovery earlier than 64 A.D. is not significant.) The earliest written (inscribed in stone) reference to the name found, so far, is represented in the image file that can be seen to the right when one places the mouse over that or this link.
That and similar 'Greek' inscriptions were placed next to burial sites in the underground catacombs from the late 2nd to the early 4th centuries when Christianity was illegal and forced underground both figuratively and literally. The inscription shown is assumed to be from the latter period of time when Christianity was 'de facto' if not 'de jure' legal in Rome - thereby motivating the pagan 'powers that be' of the time to be especially harsh against Rome and its mostly Christian citizens in the first decade of the 4th century.
Eventually, especially after the FINAL Great Persecution (303~309ą) by Diocletian at the beginning of the 4th century, Latin became more 'official' than Greek. The latinized form of the feminine Cyriaca is Domnica/Dominica.
This means that, if the name didn't appear before the first century, it may have been used to identify individuals dedicating themselves to Jesus Christ, "the Lord" and Christianity. After the apostles but before the priests or presbyters, there may have been Christians called Cyriaca or Cyriacus who were so active in the movement that their de facto title evolved into their de jure family name. That the Apostle Paul visited and evangelized in Corinth, Greece is a fact - whether he connected with already extant Cyriac Family members or began the process where the Cyriac or Kyriacou term began referring to his converts is another mystery in need of resolution.
[ It also appears that the pre-4th century, 'illegal', Rome based Church was Greek oriented - with almost all of the Rome based adherents thereto dying before 310 A.D. The 'legal' Rome based Church, rebuilt upon the ashes of its predecessor from 313 onward, was Latinized from inception. As indicated previously, not much has been researched about how the Greek Orthodox Church fared before, during and after the FINAL Great Persecution of 303 ~ 310 A.D. One thing seems obvious though: more individuals with variations of the Cyriac surname are referenced by the Greek and other eastern rite churches than the Roman and western rite churches. ]
Or, maybe there existed, long before Christianity, families with the Greek last name of Kyriakos?! In either case, it's highly probable that we are descended from families with the last name already extant as of the 3rd century A.D.

Much of the information gathered and summarized at this web site is contained in much more detail at other web sites - links to those sites are indicated where appropriate. If all else fails, use and the other search engines to find the latest information on any subject. Local links to other pages at this web site can be found in any of the various menu boxes located on almost every page.
[ 2/17/2009: Many of the external links found a decade or more ago may no longer work and are replaced or eliminated as they are discovered - look inside the source .HTML file to see some old dead links that may help find a replacement site. Linking accuracy is a continuous and lengthy process that can consume all of one's time and energy. Even many of the 'cached' pages at Google can no longer be found. Eventually, someone like Google or Wikipedia will dedicate a server to old dead links where us Webmasters can place the new link locations so that the flow of information on the internet can remain seamless to users.

Larger type is used at this web site in order to help those who, like this webmaster have become senior citizens with eyesight not as effective as when we were in our prime. Unlike commercial sites where most of the small type goes unread, the pages at this site are meant to be read in their entirety - especially by those unfamiliar with our family history.