The Name Afanasiy
Afanasiy is a male name of Greek origin meaning “immortal”. Below are the forms of the name, name days in the Orthodox calendar, character by tradition, numerology, the first letter, talismans and compatibility with other names.
Origin and meaning
Afanasiy is a male name of Greek origin. Meaning: “immortal”. From the Greek ἀθάνατος, “immortal”.
Forms of the name
| Full form | Afanasiy |
| Short forms | Afonya, Fonya |
| Affectionate forms | Afonyushka, Afanasyushka |
Name days (angel’s day)
| January 31 | St Athanasius the Great |
| May 15 | translation of the relics of St Athanasius the Great |
A name day is the feast of the saint after whom a person was baptised. If several saints share the name, custom is to celebrate the first feast after the birthday. Shown here are the main feasts in the calendar of the Russian Orthodox Church, with civil (Gregorian) dates.
Character by tradition
Afanasiy, by tradition, is a solid, sensible and kind man. He dislikes haste and does everything thoroughly and conscientiously. He can be stubborn and conservative, and finds it hard to change his habits. His strength is reliability and practical wisdom.
Name numerology
Letters of the name Afanasiy («Афанасий») in the Russian 1–9 table: А 1 + Ф 4 + А 1 + Н 6 + А 1 + С 1 + И 1 + Й 2 = 17 → 8. The sum is reduced to one digit; the master numbers 11, 22 and 33 are kept.
Name number 8 — power and achievement. Eight is the number of business and money: organising talent, ambition, skill with resources. The weak spot is a domineering streak and measuring life by results.
Vowels give the soul number 4 (order and work), consonants the personality number 4 (order and work). The numbers match: what the person wants inside is what they show outside — a sign of an integral nature.
In Slavic Cyrillic numerals (using the modern spelling of the name): А=1 + Ф=500 + А=1 + Н=50 + А=1 + С=200 + И=8 + Й=8 = 769, reduced to 4. Letters that had no numeric value are skipped. This is an additional digit, not a second name number: meanings for the Cyrillic numerals were added in the 20th century, modeled on Western numerology.
More: name number with surname, Slavic Cyrillic numerals, number meanings.
First letter and letters of the name
In letter reading — a popular tradition of interpreting letters — the first letter of the name matters most: it sets the main tone of character. The other letters add shades.
А — beginning and action. A wish to start, to be first and to act; a need for physical and emotional comfort.
Other letters: Ф — wish to be in the centre; Н — strong character and protest; С — common sense; И — refinement and kindness; Й — impulsiveness.
Talismans of the name
Name books usually derive talismans from the name number and its planet; lists differ between authors. Here we follow Cheiro (“Book of Numbers”): number 8 is linked with the planet Saturn.
| Planet | Saturn |
| Stones | black pearl, dark sapphire, amethyst |
| Colours | dark grey, dark blue, black |
| Favourable days | Saturday |
Compatibility with other names
In numerology, compatibility of names is judged by their numbers. Number 8 goes most easily with 2, 4 and 6, and has more friction with 1 and 8.
Goes well with: Alina, Anastasiya, Angelina, Evdokiya, Elizaveta, Zinaida, Lyubov, Matrena, Svetlana, Yana.
More friction with: Vera, Galina, Eva, Zlata, Lidiya, Olga.
Check a couple precisely: compatibility by name.
Outcome
The name Afanasiy carries the meaning “immortal”. Name number 8 — power and achievement; first letter A — beginning and action. The soul and personality numbers coincide — the name of an integral nature whose words match its wishes. Name days: January 31, May 15.