Gregor

Gregor is a masculine given name of Latin origin. It derives from the Latin Gregorius, which in turn comes from the Greek gregorios, meaning “watchful,” “vigilant,” or “one who keeps awake.” The name has been widely adopted across Europe and beyond, with local variants such as Gregor, Grégor, Gregório, Gregorios, Grzegorz, and other language-specific forms.

As a personal name, Gregor is most common in German-speaking and Central and Eastern European countries, where it appears in historical and contemporary contexts. It has also been used as a surname in some regions, though less commonly than as a given name. The name’s longevity is reflected in its appearance in literature, religious history, and science.

Notable individuals with the given name include Gregor Mendel (1822–1884), a Moravian scientist whose experiments laid the groundwork for genetics; Gregor Townsend (born 1972), a Scottish former rugby player and coach; and Gregor Strasser (1892–1934), a German politician associated with the early Nazi movement. In fiction, Gregor Samsa is the protagonist of Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis, and Gregor Clegane, known as The Mountain, is a major character in George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series.

The name Gregor thus occupies a broad space in naming traditions, linking linguistic heritage with cultural and historical figures across real and fictional domains. Related names include Gregory and its various linguistic forms used in different countries.