Phil Kafcaloudes’ new survey looks at why some Greeks anglicise their surnames

·

When many immigrants, among them Greeks, arrived in Australia after World War II, a lot of them opted to change their last names and anglicise them. There were many ways to do it – Some used to cut just a couple of letters while others completely changed it.

According to ABC News, Phil Kafcaloudes decided to send out a survey last year to the Greek Australian community, asking about the history of these surnames and why migrants decided to change them.

From the results, three main reasons for why Greeks changed their names became evident. These were: convenience, acceptance and racism.

Kafcaloudes said the 1930s was a period with a lot of racist behaviours and anti-migrant riots in Australia. Around the time, there was also the “White Australia” policy, which would continue to exist until the 70s.

Despite this, Kafcaloudes’ survey found that while some Greeks were frustrated with the name change, he didn’t find anyone who regretted doing it.

“There was an overwhelming feeling of ‘I’ve come to Australia. This is what I need to do’ – no loss about it,” he told ABC News.

Source: ABC News.

Advertisement

Share:

KEEP UP TO DATE WITH TGH

By subscribing you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

Advertisement

Latest News

Earlwood’s Greek spirit centre stage as ‘Plateia’ Festival secures state funding

The City of Canterbury Bankstown will host the “Love Earlwood” festival thanks to the NSW Government’s Open Streets 2025-28 Program.

Greek Consul General honoured at Hellenic Club farewell event in Sydney

Sydney’s Greek community came together on Thursday for a dignified farewell dinner in honour of Greece’s Consul General, Ioannis Mallikourtis

Field of candidates announced for 2025 Greek Community of Melbourne Board election

Greek Community of Melbourne has officially called elections for a new Board of Directors, with members set to head to the polls on June 29.

Australia Cup 2025: Strong Greek heritage club presence as Final 32 locked in

The cast for the Hahn Australia Cup 2025 Round of 32 has been decided following the completion of the Preliminary Rounds.

Apostolakis and Trimis named on Young Matildas squad for upcoming training camp

CommBank Young Matildas Head Coach Alex Epakis has settled on a 32-player squad for a domestic training camp to be held in Sydney.

You May Also Like

Greek American biomedical engineer Elisa Konofagou elected to National Academy of Medicine

Elisa E. Konofagou has been elected to the US-based independent advisory body the National Academy of Medicine (NAM).

Divers spot endangered seahorses in polluted Greek lagoon

Divers have reported a rare sighting of hundreds of endangered seahorses in a polluted lagoon in western Greece.

Australians in Greece to vote at Embassy for the Voice to Parliament referendum 

The Australian Embassy in Greece announced that Australian citizens residing in or visiting Greece will be able to vote on Voice referendum.