The name Dionysius (/daɪəˈniːʒəs, -ˈnɪʒ-, -ˈnɪziəs, -ˈniːziəs/; Greek: Διονύσιος Dionysios, "of Dionysus"; Latin: Dionysius) was common in classical and post-classical times. Etymologically it is a nominalized adjective formed with a -ios suffix from the stem Dionys- of the name of the Greek god, Dionysus,[1] parallel to Apollon-ios from Apollon, with meanings of Dionysos' and Apollo's, etc. The exact beliefs attendant on the original assignment of such names remain unknown.
Regardless of the language of origin of Dionysos and Apollon, the -ios/-ius suffix is associated with a full range of endings of the first and second declension in the Greek and Latin languages. The names may thus appear in ancient writing in any of their cases. Dionysios itself refers only to males. The feminine version of the name is Dionysia, nominative case, in both Greek and Latin. The name of the plant and the festival, Dionysia, is the neuter plural nominative, which looks the same in English from both languages. Dionysiou is the masculine and neuter genitive case of the Greek second declension. Dionysias is not the -ios suffix.
Although in most cases transmuted, the name remains in many modern languages, such as English Dennis (Denys, Denis, Denise). The latter names have lost the suffix altogether, using Old French methods of marking the feminine, Denise. The modern Greek (closest to the original) is Dionysios or Dionysis. The Spanish is Dionisio. The Italian is Dionigi and last name, Dionisi. Like Caesar in secular contexts, Dionysius sometimes became a title in religious contexts; for example, Dionysius was the episcopal title of the primates of Malankara Church (founded by Apostle Thomas in India) from 1765 until the amalgamation of that title with Catholicos of the East in 1934.
People named Dionysius
Secular classical contexts
Athletics
Dionysius of Alexandria (athlete), fl. 129 AD, last winner of the stadion race at the Olympic Games of the times
Science and philosophy
Dionysius of Chalcedon, fl. 320 BC, philosopher of Megarian school
Dionysius of Cyrene, Stoic philosopher and mathematician, c. 150 BC
Dionysius of Lamptrai, 3rd century BC, an Epicurean philosopher and head of the "Garden"
Dionysius Periegetes, Greek geographer, 2nd or 3rd century
Dionysius the Renegade, Stoic philosopher from Heraclea who became a Cyrenaic, c. 300 BC
Letters
Cassius Dionysius, 2nd cent. BC, Greek agricultural writer
Aelius Dionysius, a Greek rhetorician from Halicarnassus (fl. early 2nd century)
Dionysius Chalcus, Athenian elegiac poet, 5th century BC
Dionysius of Halicarnassus (c. 60 BC – after 7 BC), Greek historian of the Roman period
Dionysius of Miletus, Greek ethnographer and historian (fl. perhaps in the 5th century BC)
Dionysius Thrax, Greek grammarian, 2nd century BC
Politics
Dion of Syracuse, 408-354 BC, tyrant of Syracuse
Dionysius (ambassador), 3rd century BC, ambassador to the court of the Indian ruler Ashoka
Dionysius (Athenian Commander), an Athenian naval commander during the Corinthian War
Dionysius I of Syracuse (c. 432 – 367 BC), also called Dionysius the Elder, ruler of Syracuse in Sicily
Dionysius II of Syracuse (c. 397 BC – 343 BC), also called Dionysius the Younger, son of the preceding
Dionysius of Heraclea, tyrant of Heraclea Pontica, 4th century BC
Dionysius of Phocaea, commander of the Ionian fleet at the Battle of Lade, 494 BC
Lucius Aelius Helvius Dionysius, 4th century, Roman Proconsul and Praefectus Urbi
Dionysios Soter, r. 65-55 BC, Indo-Greek king in the area of eastern Punjab
Christian contexts
Before 1000 AD
Dionysius the Areopagite, Athenian judge who was converted by Paul of Tarsus and became Bishop of Athens
Dionysius of Vienne, d. 193, Bishop of Vienne, Gaul
Dionysius, Bishop of Corinth, 2nd-century bishop
Faustus, Abibus and Dionysius of Alexandria, d. 250, three Christian martyrs
Dionysius, 3rd-century Christian martyr and saint, noted in Theodore, Philippa and companions
Pope Dionysius of Alexandria, 3rd-century Egyptian bishop
Pope Dionysius, 259–268
Dionysius (bishop of Milan), also called Dionysius of Milan, bishop of Milan 349-355, saint
Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite (5th century), name claimed by a pseudonymous writer, identified by some with Georgian theologian Peter the Iberian (411–491), author of Corpus Areopagiticum
Dionysius Exiguus (c. 470–c. 540), monk from Scythia Minor who invented the Anno Domini era
Dionysius I Telmaharoyo (d. 848), Syriac Orthodox patriarch of Antioch
Dionysius II of Antioch (d. 908/909), Syriac Orthodox patriarch of Antioch
1000 AD to before 1600 AD
Dionysius (Zbyruyskyy), d. 1603, first Ukrainian Catholic bishop
Dionysius (Archdeacon of Aghadoe), 12th cent., first recorded Archdeacon of Aghadoe
Jacob Bar-Salibi also known as Dionysius Bar-salibi, member of Syrian Jacobite Church in the 12th century, best known for his commentary on biblical texts
Dionysius bar Masih, d. 1204, illegitimate Maphrian of the East of the Syriac Orthodox Church
Dionysius, Metropolitan of Kiev (c. 1300–1385), 14th century orthodox prelate
Dionysius (Dean of Armagh), Irish cleric, Dean of Armagh 1301–1330
Dionysius I of Constantinople, Saint, reigned from 1466 to 1471 and from 1488 to 1490
Dionisius (late 15th century–early 16th century), also called Dionysius the Wise, Russian medieval icon-painter
Dionysios Skylosophos (1560 AD–1611 AD), Epirotian Greek monk who led two farmer revolts against the Ottoman Turks
Dionysius Ó Donnchadha, 1441-1478, Bishop of Kilmacduagh
Dionysius Ó Mórdha, d. 1534, Bishop of Clonfert, Ireland
Dionysius Part, d. 1475, auxiliary Bishop of Mainz
Dionysius II of Constantinople, reigned from 1546 to 1556
Saint Dionysios of Zakynthos, 15th century Orthodox Christian Archbishop of Aegina
1600 AD and after
Blessed Dionysius of the Nativity, French sailor, Portuguese knight, and Carmelite martyr
Dionysius of Fourna, 1670-1744, Christian monk and author
Dionysios Mantoukas, 1648-1751, the Greek Orthodox bishop of Kastoria, Western Macedonia, modern Greece, from 1694 to 1719
Mar Dionysius I (died 1808), also known as Mar Dionysius the Great or Marthoma VI, Metropolitan of the Malankara Church (in India)
Pulikkottil Joseph Mar Dionysious II, 1833-1909, Malankara Metropolitan
Geevarghese Mar Dionysius of Vattasseril (1858-1934), also known as Mar Dionysius VI, Metropolitan of Malankara Church (in India), Saint
Dionysius Kfoury, 1879-1965, bishop of the Melkite Greek Catholic Archeparchy of Alexandria
Dionysios Bairaktaris, 1927-2011, Greek Orthodox metropolitan bishop of Chios, Psara, and Inousses
Dionysios Mantalos, 1952-, current Metropolitan bishop of Corinth
Modern contexts
Athletics
Dionisis Angelopoulos, 1992-, Greek rower
Dionysios Dimou, Olympic sailor
Dionysios Georgakopoulos, 1963-, Greek sport shooter
Dionysios Iliadis, Greek judoka, or Judo competitor
Dionysios Kasdaglis, 1872-1931, Greek-Egyptian tennis player
Dionysios Vasilopoulos, 1902-1964, Greek swimmer
Dionysius Hayom Rumbaka, 1988-, Indonesian badminton player
Dionysius Sebwe, 1969-, retired Liberian athlete
Fine arts
Dionysio Miseroni, 1607-1661, Bohemian jeweler and stonecutter
Dionysios Demetis, Greek composer
Dionysios Solomos, 1798-1857, author of Greek Hymn to Liberty.
Dionysios Tsokos, 1814-1862, Greek painter
Dionysios Vegias, 1810-1884, Greek painter of the later Heptanese School
Dionysis Makris, Greek singer
Dionysis Papagiannopoulos, Greek actor
Dionysis Savvopoulos, Greek songwriter, lyricist and singer
Dionysius Rodotheatos, 1849-1892, Greek conductor and composer
Georg Dionysius Ehret, 1708-1770, botanical illustrator
Stratos Dionysiou, 1935-1990, a Greek laika and elafro-laika singer
Letters
B. R. Dionysius, 1969-, Australian poet, editor, arts administrator and educator
Benjamin Musaphia (1606–1675), Jewish doctor, scholar, and kabbalist, who sometimes called himself Dionysius
Dionysios Kokkinos, 1884-1967, Greek historian and writer
Dionysios Solomos (1798–1857), Greek poet
Dionysios Zakythinos, 1905-1993, Greek Byzantinist
Dionysius Andreas Freher, 1649-1728, commentator on Jacob Boehme
Dionysius Godefridus van der Keessel, 1738-1816, Dutch jurist and educator to the royal house
Dionysius Lardner (1793–1859), Irish scientific writer
Dionysius Vossius, 1612-1635, Dutch translator
Science
Dionysios Ikkos, 1921-1993, Greek endocrinologist
Politics
Dionysia-Theodora Avgerinopoulou (born 1975), Greek lawyer and politician
Dionysius Adrianus Petrus Norbertus Koolen, 1871-1945, Dutch politician
Dionysis Diakos, Greek revolutionary leader in the Greek War of Independence
Dionysius Wakering (born 1617), English Parliamentarian
Courtesy -- wikipedia
- Dionysius