'Hatzi' prefix

[florence]

Hi Nicholas

Just a bit curious. My paternal grandmother's maiden name was Hatzieleftheriou. I understand that Hatzi as a prefix means that she is a descendant of someone who visited the Holy Land.

Can you please explain the history of this to me? Is this a Christian/orthodox custom? Is there an islamic influence? In what era would Kazzies have made the pilgrimage?

Thanks
Florence

[Administrator]

Florence,

The 'Hatzi' prefix to many Greek first names (which became surnames over time) has its origins, as you observe, in the Islamic Hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca which occurs from the 8th to 12th day of Dhu al-Hijjah, the 12th and last month of the Islamic calendar.

The word Hajj was appropriated by eastern Christians in the 13th century and used to denote a member of the faithful who had made the pilgrimage to the Holy Land. In Greek, the word, was corrupted to 'Hatzi'.

From the few records that exist, it appears that the Castellorizians commenced regular pilgrimages to the Holy Land after the Greek revolution, though there are some earlier examples from the 18th century. These pilgrimages were often, though not always, carried out by males who visited the region as part of their trading activities. From the late 18th century there are also examples of females adopting the prefix.

Nicholas