Giannis

Giannis is the modern Greek contraction of Ioannis, itself the Hellenic form of John and ultimately a descendant of the Hebrew Yochanan, God is gracious. It is among the most common masculine names in Greece, the sort every village holds several of, sorted out by nicknames and trades. International audiences know it now through Giannis Antetokounmpo, whose NBA MVPs gave the spelling a sudden global currency. Two syllables, YAH-nis, the soft g a gift of Greek orthography. The name carries Mediterranean warmth and a worker's directness — unpretentious, weathered, quick to laugh, slow to back down.