Arsenios

Arsenios is a masculine given name of Greek origin. It derives from the Greek adjective arsenios, meaning “virile” or “manly,” and has been borne by numerous figures in Byzantine and Eastern Orthodox history as well as in modern Greek life.

Notable bearers include Arsenios the Great, also known as Abba Arsenius, a Desert Father who lived in the late Roman period and is venerated as a saint in Orthodox and Catholic calendars. In the Byzantine and post-Byzantine centuries, several bishops and patriarchs named Arsenios held leadership positions in Constantinople and other sees, contributing to ecclesiastical historiography and hagiography. In the Orthodox world, the name appears in various saints’ lives and liturgical calendars.

In more recent times, Arsenios has continued to be used as a personal name among Greeks and members of the Greek diaspora. The name also appears in the compendia of saints and in the commemorations of local churches, often alongside other traditional Greek names.

Etymology notes: The root arsen- in Greek carries connotations of strength or virility, reflecting a common pattern in ancient Greek personal names.