Its source is Georgios, a Greek name meaning "Farmer." This
boy's name is used in Russian. St. George was named Patron Saint
of England in the 14th century. The story of his 4th-century
martyrdom in Palestine was brought back to Britain by Crusaders,
and embellished with the legend of his fighting the devil in the
form of a dragon. However, the name was not enthusiastically
adopted by English speakers until the ascendancy of King George
I in the early 18th century. George I's grandson, George III
(known to Americans as the tyrant condemned in the Declaration
of Independence), was loved and celebrated in the United Kingdom
for his interest in agriculture. As if to emphasize the irony of
a king whose name means ''farmer,'' he became known as ''The
Farmer King.'' Use of the name in America owes a great deal to
one of George III's opponents, George Washington.