Hatzi

Hatzi is a surname element and prefix used in Greek-speaking communities, derived from the honorific Hadji/Hacı, given to a person who completed the pilgrimage to Mecca. In Greek usage, the root Χατζής (Chatzis) and the prefix Χατζη- (hatzi-) are used in onomastics. The prefix Hatzi- is placed before a given name or another surname to indicate that an ancestor had performed the Hajj, a practice dating from Ottoman and earlier periods. In modern Greek usage, Hatzi- is typically a hereditary surname element; it is not a standalone given name. The form has been transmitted into Latin script as Hatzi-, Hatzis, Hatsis and related variants, with regional spellings. Geographically, use is concentrated in Greece and Cyprus, with communities in the Greek diaspora (Europe, North America, Australia). The term is primarily a historical honorific in onomastics; it does not imply a specific occupation or ethnicity in modern usage beyond its origin. See also Hadji, Haji, Hacı, Chatzis.