Why do the surnames of the people who come from the region of Mani end in –akis?
Behind facts there is always a reason. The same applies to the particular ending of the surnames of people who have the region of Mani as their home town…
Μani has a rich history characterized by important events and ounces of bravery. Unfortunately, the surname ending “–akis” connotes to a rough period, which is no other than the Turkish occupation.
The region of Mani is not the only part of Greece where we come across people with a surname ending in –akis. What we should bear in mind is that the reason for this has to do with the difficulties and the psychological pressure that the people of Mani underwent through the frequent raids by the Turks, who aimed at conquering the locals and depriving them of their freedoms.
The surname ending –akis, constitutes an element of Greek colloquialism, which derived from the cruel oppression of the Turks and, in essence, it implies the insignificance, the weakness and the victimization of the people of Mani back then.
The surname ending –akis, gradually evolved as time went by and became –akos. This is a sign of the freedom of existence which the people felt and their dynamic being after liberation from the Turkish occupation.
