Yrja

This name derives from the Ancient Greek “Geṓrgios (Γεώργῐος),” from the element: “geōrgós ‎(γεωργός)” (tilling the ground, fertilizing), which in turn derives from “gê (γῆ)” (land, earth, country, soil) plus “érgon ‎(ἔργον)” (deed, doing, action, labor, work, task). In turn, the name means “land-worker, farmer.” In the West, the name is known from the 11th-century as a result of the Crusades. The name’s use was extended due to the popularity of St. George and the Golden Legend, widespread in the European courts of the thirteenth century. In Germany, the name has been popular since the Middle Ages, declining in later use. In Britain, despite there being St. George, the patron of England since the fourteenth century, the name did not become popular until the eighteenth century following George I of England’s accession. In the United States, statistics from the mid-19th-century placed him among the five most popular baby names.