History of Europe

What is Greek name?

The name "Greek" comes from the Latin _Graecus_, which in turn came from the Greek _Graikos._ The origins of the name are uncertain, but is possibly related to the Proto-Indo-European word *grei*-, meaning to call out or cry. Another possibility is that it is derived from _Graecia_, the Roman name for Greece, which may be related to the Greek verb _grakein_, meaning to scratch or notch, in reference to the mountainous terrain of Greece.

Whatever the origins of the name, it has been used to refer to the people and culture of Greece since ancient times. The Greeks themselves call their country "Hellas" and refer to themselves as "Hellenes," after Hellen, the mythical ancestor of the Greek people.