Greek name day on 10 August 2026: Saints Laurence, Sixtus II and Hippolytus honoured

Saints commemorated on 10 August

On Monday 10 August 2026, the Greek Orthodox Church commemorates Saint Laurence the Archdeacon, Pope Sixtus II of Rome, and Saint Hippolytus. Two of the four source articles date their martyrdom to 253 AD, while a third places it in 258 AD during the persecution under Emperor Valerian. Saint Laurence served as archdeacon of the Church of Rome, responsible for managing church property and distributing aid to the poor. When Roman authorities demanded he surrender the church's treasures, he instead gathered the poor, orphans, widows, and the sick, presenting them as the true wealth of the Church.

Pope Sixtus II, described in one article as originating from Athens, was arrested while gathered with clergy and faithful and led to death. Saint Hippolytus, a pious Christian who received Laurence's relics after his martyrdom, was himself killed on the governor's orders by being dragged by wild horses through thorns. The Western tradition holds that Laurence was burned alive on a red-hot iron gridiron.

Names celebrating today

According to the Greek name day calendar, those celebrating on 10 August include: Heron, Heronia, and Hero; Lavrentios, Lavrentis, Lavrentia, Laura, Lorraine, Lauraina, and Lavrentina; and Ippolytos, Ippolyti, Ippolyta, and Poly. The name day tradition ties personal names to the feast days of Orthodox saints, and these names derive from the three martyrs honoured on this date.

Historical events on 10 August

The date carries several notable historical anniversaries. In 1788, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart completed his Symphony No. 41, known as the Jupiter. In 1793, the Louvre Museum opened its doors. In 1825, Konstantinos Kanaris and Antonios Kriezis attempted a daring raid in Alexandria harbour to burn the Egyptian fleet, though the effort failed due to unforeseen circumstances.

In 1913, the Treaty of Bucharest was signed, ending the Second Balkan War and defining new borders between Greece and Bulgaria along the line from Mount Belles to the Nestos river mouth. In 1920, Sultan Mehmed VI signed the Treaty of Sevres, which Eleftherios Venizelos described as making Greece a country of two continents and five seas. In 1922, the Panathenaikos Athletic Club (PAO) received its final name, proposed by Michalis Papazoglou, adopting the trefoil as its symbol. In 1969, Coca-Cola entered the Greek market.

Notable births on 10 August

The date also marks the births of several notable figures. Panait Istrati, the Greek-Romanian writer known as the Gorky of the Balkans and author of Kyra Kyralina, was born in 1884. Ian Anderson, English musician and frontman of Jethro Tull, was born in 1947. Antonio Banderas, Spanish actor and director with an international career, was born in 1960.