Exakoustodianos

In the Eastern Orthodox tradition, this is the name of one of the Seven Sleepers of Ephesus. They were a group of seven young men from Ephesus (now Selçuk in Turkey) who were walled into a cave on the orders of the Roman emperor Decius (c. 201-251). The youths were thought to have died, but in reality they were fast asleep, and they would not wake from their slumber until well over three centuries later.

For the Eastern Orthodox tradition, the source of the youths' names is the Byzantine writer and saint Symeon the Metaphrast (died in 987 AD). The Roman Catholic tradition is based on a different source of the story, namely Golden Legend written by the Italian archbishop and chronicler Jacobus de Voragine (c. 1230-1298). As a result, Exakoustodianos does not appear in the traditional Catholic version of the story; not even in the Latinate form Exacustodianus. However, he tends to be equated with the young man Constantine (originally Constantinus) from their version.

With that said, the meaning of this name is not quite certain, as it can be Greek as well as Latin in origin. In case of the former, it might be derived from the Greek adjective ἐξάκουστος (exakoustos) meaning "heard, audible" as well as "famous" combined with the Greek suffix -ιανός (-ianos), which was ultimately borrowed from Latin. The meaning of the name would then be something along the lines of "auditor" (as in, someone who listens: a hearer, a listener).

In case of a Latin origin, the name should be a hellenization of the previously mentioned Exacustodianus, as that should then be the original form. It consists of the Latin preposition ex meaning "out of, from" combined with the Latin noun custodia meaning "protection" as well as "custody, guardianship" and "prison". The final part of the name consists of the Latin suffix -(i)anus. Putting everything together, the most likely meaning should be "out of prison" (as in: someone who is freed or escaped from prison), as that would be a direct reference to the story of the Seven Sleepers of Ephesus.