MEANING & HISTORY
What does Socrates mean?
Socrates is the Latin-transmitted form of Greek Sōkratēs. Its elements are sōs, safe, whole, or unwounded, and kratos, power.
The philosopher made the name internationally familiar, but wisdom is an association with his work rather than the literal compound. The older word formation should remain distinct from judgments about any modern bearer’s knowledge.
References for this explanation
Pronunciation & syllables
Dictionary readings are kept by language. Select the reading that matches your intended pronunciation. Dots show the source’s written divisions; they are not a universal syllable count across languages.
English
- /ˈsɒkɹətiːz/Received-Pronunciation
- /ˈsɑkɹətiz/Atlantic-Canada · General-American
- /ˈsɒkɹətiz/Boston · Canada · Maine
- /ˈsɔkɹətiːz/Australia
- /ˈsɒkɹətiːz/New-Zealand
- [ˈsɔ̟kɹətiːz]New-Zealand
Soc · ra · tes3 source divisions
Dictionary reading & contributors ↗Wiktionary contributors / Kaikki / Wiktextract · CC BY-SA 4.0
Origin and name formation
Language-specific accounts from the dictionary. A shared spelling can have more than one history.
EnglishEtymology & source
Via Latin Socrates, from Ancient Greek Σωκράτης (Sōkrátēs). Doublet of Sokratis.
A male given name from Ancient Greek.; The Greek philosopher, 470–399 BC.
Wiktionary: Socrates (English) ↗ · Contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
Adapted from Wiktionary contributors via Kaikki/Wiktextract. Source accounts remain in their original English; editorial summaries and filters are adapted. Attribution and downloads
Use in Philippine-linked records
Public-record transcription
2
eligible source records · 2001
This spelling is reported in an openly licensed transcription of elected-candidate records. This is a record count, not a birth count or national popularity measure.
OpenHalalan / COMELEC ↗PSA · OFFICIAL BIRTH RECORDS
Socrates in the birth records
Exact spelling and stated year in the published name tables. Read the counts as individual snapshots.
Tables included: 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2022, 2023 and 2024. The 2016 fact sheet lists five names per sex; the later tables include ten. Missing counts are not inferred. Sex categories follow the official tables, independently of dictionary gender labels. Explore the official tables →
Similar names to Socrates
Names with a similar opening or ending, ordered by spelling distance. Similar spelling does not imply the same meaning or origin.
Names in this collection
- Sócrates♂Sound or whole, joined with power
- Marites♀Blend of Maria and Teresa
- Soraya·Persian form of the Pleiades star-cluster name
- Socorro♀Help; relief
- Sofia♀Wisdom
- Sofía♀Wisdom
- Sonia♀Russian familiar form of Sophia; wisdom
- Sonya·Russian familiar form of Sophia; wisdom
What rhymes with Socrates?
Matches share a dictionary-supplied rhyme key in the stated language. Check the recorded reading; another language or accent can change the rhyme.
Explore Socrates further
Follow the sources
- OpenHalalan — pinned 2001 COMELEC transcription (opens in a new tab)
Source-reported given-name form in a row with a separate explicit middle initial; ODbL-1.0.
- COMELEC — 2001 List of Elected Candidates (opens in a new tab)
Original document identified by the transcription; selected PDF entries were spot-checked, not every imported row.
- Wiktionary contributors — Socrates (English) (opens in a new tab)
Language-specific given-name etymology; shared spelling does not prove every bearer has this origin.
- Wiktionary: Socrates (opens in a new tab)
Personal-name formation and etymological relationships; imported dictionary account consulted.
- Behind the Name: socrates (opens in a new tab)
Independent onomastic comparison and qualifications to the proposed origin.