George

George is a traditionally masculine name with Greek and English roots. The prevailing meaning of George is "farmer" — in Greek it comes from "georgos" which indicates a tiller of the soil. Names with similar meanings (many of which are variations of George in other languages) include Geordie, Gardiner, Georges, Georgio, Goran, Gorka, Igor, Jerzyr, Jiri, Jorge, Sior, Steadman, and Yuri.

St. George is the patron saint of England who fought a fire-breathing dragon (a symbol for the Devil). George appears in Shakespeare as well: George Bevis in 'Henry VI, Part 2,' George, son of Richard Plantagenet in 'King Henry the Sixth, Part III,' and Gorge, Duke of Clarence in 'King Richard III.'

Other famous Georges in history and pop culture include: King George of England; Prince George (son of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, aka Prince William and Kate Middleton); 'Star Wars' creator George Lucas; U.S. Presidents George Washington, George Bush, and George W. Bush; musicians George Harrison, Boy George and George Michael; actors George Clooney, George Takei, George Carlin, and George Lopez; athletes George Foreman and George Best; authors George Orwell, George Eliot (nee Mary Ann Evans), and George R.R. Martin; LDS leader George Albert Smith; plus plenty of fictional characters such as George Costanza on 'Seinfeld.'

George has been in the U.S. top 10 names for boys 49 times, but has been almost entirely declining in usage since 1880, except for a pause to rise in the ranks briefly between 1912 and 1914 before steadily declining again.

George in quotes:

“Honor the names that you bear, because someday you will have the privilege and the obligation of reporting to [your ancestors] what you have done with their name.” — George Albert Smith

“Give a thing a name and it will somehow come to be.”
― George R.R. Martin, Dying of the Light