Nicknames / Mitata

Because Kythera was settled in such a way that a few dozen original families spawned the majority of present-day Kytherians, almost every branch of every family had a "nickname" to distinguish it from that of others with the same surname.

The nicknames were sometimes simply the genitive form of a christian name (e.g. "Dimitrelou") or derived from the profession of an ancestor (e.g. "Miliotis" = "Miller") or even describe a physical attribute (e.g. "Koutsaftis" or "Tarzan").

This is the section of the website where you can view the island's nicknames and read about which surnames they are associated with and hopefully where they came from as well.

You can submit to the section by clicking on add to nicknames at the top right.

People > Nicknames

submitted by Cleopatra Sclavos on 11.02.2008

Mavros - Sclavos

The paratsoukli 'Mavros' has been a part of my family for at least 4 generations. My paternal great-grandfather was known as 'mavronikolaki'.

I'm not sure whether the Mavros paratsoukli stuck after a stroke of bad luck ('o mavros' can mean poor thing) or whether it refers to the physical description of one of my ancestors.

The change in spelling of my family's surname from Sklavos to Sclavos was the brainchild of my grandfather Evangelos who arrived in Australia in ...

People > Nicknames

submitted by James Victor Prineas on 23.01.2007

Dimitrelos / Prineas

One of my uncles told me that one of the reasons we have the "trelos" nickname was because there is a "disease" in the family which turns siblings against each other once the parents have died (sounds like a world-wide trait if you ask me...). And confirmations?

People > Nicknames

submitted by Michael George Smith on 26.01.2006

Tarzan

From, Catching the Dying Light of Kythera,
The Monthly Chronicle, Sydney, Vol 2, No 3, May/June, 1996.
pp, 22-23

MICHAEL GEORGE SMITH talks to photographer JAMES PRINEAS about his 1996 exhibition of photographs at the Bondi Pavilion Gallery and the book of that exhibition, A Village On Kythera, (PigPenPress).

"Among the many wonderful photographs to be found in Prineas’ book is one of great old character named George ...

People > Nicknames

submitted by George Sophios on 06.03.2005

"Laveri" - (Protop)Saltis

The paternal parachoukli of Jim and Con Psaltis, is "Laveri".

"Laveri" means dark.

As with most Protopsaltis'- the family derives from Mitata.

People > Nicknames

submitted by George Poulos on 03.12.2004

"Ntessis" - George C Protopsaltis, Mitata, Kythera.

George C Protopsaltis

Parachoukli - Ntessis

Born, 1914, Mitata, Kythera.

[There is an interesting photograph posted to kythera-family at Photography Island, subsection, Vintage Portraits, by Arthur Sklavos, (11.10.2004) of 6 young boys leaving Kythera in 1927, which includes a "George C Protopsaltis" - almost certainly "Mosman" George.(?)]

George Psaltis, had a shop in Barraba from 1938-1947. Barraba is situated in the far ...

People > Nicknames

submitted by George Poulos on 05.11.2004

"Katsehamos" - Peter (Panayiotis) Feros. Mitata.

Peter (Panayiotis) Feros,

born in Mitata, Kythera, c1890.

Died, 19.12.1954.

Feros had the puraksino parachoukli Katsehamos. ("Sitting down (person").

Originally, ran a business in Bingara in New South Wales.

Peter had one son John, who entered the Army, and died in his 50's.
Two daughters, Katina, in Linfield, since deceased, and
Maria, of Roseville, still alive (2004).

About ...

People > Nicknames

submitted by George Poulos on 27.05.2004

Miliotis - Miller - reverse

Dimitri (Jim) Castrisios Miliotis was born in Mitata, Kythera. The Milioti "patriko spiti" is in "Sklavyanika", in Mitata, on the road leading down to the "vrissi" - natural spring. [See photographs at kythera-family.net.]

Jim arrived in Australia from Kythera, in 1921, aged 9 years. He simplified his name from Miliotis (the family 'paratsoukli') to Miller. Jim changed the name by Deed Poll.

Jim followed a precedent laid down by his father George - who used the family ...