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Alexander
Paris, depicted in this c. 1636 painting by Peter Paul Rubens making his famous judgment, was given the surname Alexander as a child when he routed a gang of cattle-thieves.
Pronunciation	/ˈæləksˈændər/
Gender	Masculine, the feminine variant being Alexandra.
Language(s)	From the Latin Alexander, itself based upon the Greek Alexandros, from alexein meaning "to ward off, keep off, turn away, defend, protect" and aner meaning "man".
Origin
Meaning	"Defender, protector of man".

Look up Alexander in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Alexander ( /ˈæləksˈændər/) is a common male first name, and less common surname. The most famous is Alexander III of Macedon, commonly known as Alexander the Great, who created one of the largest empires in ancient history.

Origin

Etymologically, the name is derived from the Greek "Αλέξανδρος" (Aléxandros), meaning "defending men" or "protector of men", a compound of the verb "ἀλέξω" (alexō), "to ward off, to avert, to defend" and the noun "ἀνδρός" (andros), genitive of "ἀνήρ" (anēr), "man". It is an example of the widespread motif of Greek (or Indo-European more generally) names expressing "battle-prowess", in this case the ability to withstand or push back an enemy battle line.

The earliest attested form of the name is the Mycenaean Greek feminine noun a-re-ka-sa-da-ra, (transliterated as Alexandra), written in Linear B syllabic script.

The name was one of the titles ("epithets") given to the Greek goddess Hera and as such is usually taken to mean "one who comes to save warriors". In the Iliad, the character Paris is known also as Alexander. The name's popularity was spread throughout the Greek world by the military conquests of King Alexander III, commonly known as "Alexander the Great". Most later Alexanders in various countries were directly or indirectly named for him.

People known as Alexander

Alexander has been the name of many rulers, including kings of Macedon, kings of Scotland, emperors of Russia and popes.

Rulers of antiquity

• Alaksandu, c. 1280 BC
• Alexander, more often known as Paris of Troy
• Alexander of Corinth, 10th king of Corinth (816–791 BC)
• Alexander I of Macedon
• Alexander II of Macedon
• Alexander of Pherae despot of Pherae between 369 and 358 BC
• Alexander I of Epirus king of Epirus about 342 BC
• Alexander the Great (Alexander III of Macedon), King of Macedon, 356–323 BC
• Alexander IV of Macedon
• Alexander V of Macedon
• Alexander II of Epirus king of Epirus 272 BC
• Alexander, viceroy of Antigonus Gonatas and ruler of a rump state based on Corinth c. 250 BC
• Alexander Balas, ruler of the Seleucid kingdom of Syria between 150 and 146 BC
• Alexander Zabinas, ruler of part of the Seleucid kingdom of Syria based in Antioch between 128 and 123 BC
• Alexander Jannaeus king of Judea, 103-76 BC
• Alexander of Judaea, son of Aristobulus II, king of Judaea
• Alexander Severus, (208–235), Roman Empire
• Domitius Alexander, Roman usurper who declared himself emperor in 308

Rulers of the Middle Ages

• Alexander, Byzantine Emperor (912–913)
• Alexander I of Scotland (c. 1078–1124)
• Alexander II of Scotland (1198–1249)
• Alexander Nevsky (1220–1263), Prince of Novgorod and Grand Prince of Vladimir
• Alexander III of Scotland (1241–1286)
• Aleksander (1338–before 1386), Prince of Podolia (son of Narymunt)
• Alexandru I Aldea, ruler of the principality of Wallachia (1431–1436)
• Eskender, Emperor of Ethiopia (1472–1494)
• Alexander Jagiellon (Alexander of Poland) (1461–1506), King of Poland
• Alexandru Lăpuşneanu, Voivode of Moldavia (1552–1561 and 1564–1568)

Modern rulers

• Alexander I of Russia (1777–1825), emperor of Russia
• Alexander II of Russia (1818–1881), emperor of Russia
• Alexander III of Russia (1845–1894), emperor of Russia
• Alexander Karađorđević, Prince of Serbia (1842–1858)
• Alexander of Bulgaria (1857–1893), first prince of Bulgaria
• Alexander John Cuza, prince of Romania (1859–1866)
• Alexander I Obrenović of Serbia (1876–1903), king of Serbia
• Alexander, Prince of Lippe (1831–1905), prince of Lippe
• Alexander I of Yugoslavia (1888–1934), first king of Yugoslavia
• Alexander, Crown Prince of Yugoslavia, (born 1945), the head of the Yugoslav Royal Family
• Zog I also known as Skenderbeg III, (1895–1961), king of Albanians
• Alexander of Greece (1917–1920), king of Greece
• Leka, Crown Prince of Albania, (born 1939), king of Albanians (throne pretender)
• Willem-Alexander, Prince of Orange

Other royals

• Alexander, Judean Prince, one of the sons of Herod the Great from his wife Mariamne
• Alexander, Judean Prince, son to the above Alexander and Cappadocian Princess Glaphyra
• Alexander (d. 1418), son of Bulgarian tsar Ivan Shishman
• Prince Alexander John of Wales (1871), short-lived son of Edward VII
• Prince Alexander of Belgium (1942–2009)

Several other princes have borne the name Alexander:

• George V of Hanover (1819–1878)
• Prince Alfred of Edinburgh and Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1874–1899)
• Prince George, Duke of Kent (1902–1942)
• Olav V of Norway (1903–1991)
• Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester (born 1944)]

Religious leaders

• Pope Alexander I, (pope 97–105)
• Alexander of Apamea, 5th century bishop of Apamea
• Pope Alexander II, (pope 1058–1061)
• Pope Alexander III, (pope 1164–1168)
• Pope Alexander IV, (pope 1243–1254)
• Pope Alexander V, ("Peter Philarges" c. 1339–1410)
• Pope Alexander VI, (1492–1503), Roman pope
• Pope Alexander VII, (1599–1667)
• Pope Alexander VIII, (pope 1689–1691),
• Alexander of Constantinople, bishop of Constantinople (314–337)
• St. Alexander of Alexandria, Coptic Pope, Patriarch of Alexandria between 313 and 328
• Pope Alexander II of Alexandria, Coptic Pope (702–729)
• Alexander of Lincoln, bishop of Lincoln
• Alexander of Jerusalem

• See also Saint Alexander, various saints with this name

Other people

Other people using the name Alexander include:

Antiquity

• Paris (mythology) aka Alexander, the Trojan prince who kidnapped Helen
• Alexander (artists), the name of a number of artists of ancient Greece, Rome and Macedon
• Alexander (3rd century BC general), commanded the cavalry under Antigonus III Doson
• Alexander of Athens, Athenian comic poet
• Alexander Lyncestes, contemporary of Alexander the Great
• Alexander Aetolus, poet and member of the Alexandrian Pleiad
• Alexander, son of Lysimachus, 3rd century BC Macedonian royal
• Alexander (Aetolian general), briefly conquered Aegira in 220 BC
• Alexander (general), son of Polyperchon, the regent of Macedonia
• Alexander Isius, 2nd century military commander of the Aetolians
• Alexander of Acarnania (d. 191 BC), confidante of Antiochus III the Great
• Alexander Lychnus, early 1st century BC poet and historian
• Alexander Polyhistor, Greek scholar of the 1st century
• Alexander of Myndus, ancient Greek writer on zoology and divination
• Alexander of Aegae, peripatetic philosopher of the 1st century
• Alexander of Cotiaeum, 2nd century Greek grammarian and tutor of Marcus Aurelius
• Alexander Numenius, or Alexander son of Numenius, 2nd century AD, Greek rhetorician
• Alexander the Paphlagonian, 2nd century Greek imposter
• Alexander Peloplaton, Greek rhetorician of the 2nd century
• Alexander of Lycopolis, 4th century author of an early Christian treatise against Manicheans
• Alexander of Aphrodisias, Greek commentator and philosopher

Middle Ages

• Alexander of Hales, 13th-century Medieval theologian
• Oleksa Dovbush, Ukrainian freedom-fighter

Modern

• Alexander (magician) (1880–1954), stage magician specializing in mentalism
• Olivinha (born 1983), Brazilian basketball player also known as Alexandre

People with the given name Alexander

Internationally famous people with the given name Alexander or variants include:

• Alexander Pope (1688–1744), English poet
• Alex Ferguson (born 1941), manager of Manchester United FC
• Alexander Hamilton (1755–1804), Founding Father of the United States
• Alexander Day, British 18th Century confidence trickster
• Alexander Pushkin (1799–1837), Russian writer
• Alexandre Dumas (1802–1870), French writer
• Alexander Ivanovich Levitov (1835–1877), Russian writer
• Alexander Graham Bell (1847–1922), Scottish-born inventor of the first practical telephone
• Alexander Fleming (1881–1955), Scottish discoverer of penicillin
• Alexandre Lippmann (1881–1960), French 2x Olympic champion épée fencer
• Alexander Korda (1893–1956), Hungarian-born film director
• Alexander Rudolph ("Al McCoy"; 1894–1966), American world champion middleweight boxer
• Alexander Penn (1906–72), Israeli poet
• Alessandro Manzoni (1785–1873), Italian poet and novelist
• Alessandro Volta (1745–1827), Italian physicist
• Alexander Levinsky (1910–90), Canadian NHL ice hockey player
• Alexander Argov (1914–95), Russian-born Israeli composer
• Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (1918–2008), Russian writer
• Alexander Dubček (1921–1992), leader of Czechoslovakia (1968–1969)
• Alexander Salkind (1921–1997), French film producer
• Alexander Haig (1924–2010), United States general and politician
• Alexander Gomelsky (1928–2005), Russian head coach of USSR basketball national team for 30 years
• Aleksandr Gorelik (born 1945), Soviet figure skater
• Alexander McCall Smith (born 1948), Scottish writer
• Alexander O'Neal (born 1953), American singer
• Alec Baldwin (born 1958), American actor
• Sandy Lyle (born 1958), Scottish golfer
• Alexander Pechtold (born 1965), Dutch politician
• Aleksandar Djordjevic (born 1967), Serbian basketball player
• Lex van Dam (Born 1968), Dutch trader and TV personality
• Alexander McQueen (1969–2010), British fashion designer
• Alexander Popov (swimmer) (born 1971) Russian swimmer
• Aleksandr Averbukh, Israeli European champion pole vaulter
• Alexander Semin (born 1984), Russian hockey player for the Washington Capitals
• Alexander Ovechkin (born 1985), Russian hockey player for the Washington Capitals
• Alexander Nikolov (born 1987), American, well known NASCAR driver
• Alexander Gustafsson (born 1987), Swedish mixed martial arts fighter
• Alexander Shatilov (born 1987), Uzbek-Israeli artistic gymnast
• Alexander Lee Eusebio (born 1988), also known as Alexander (or Xander), South Korean solo singer, ex-member of South Korean band U-KISS

Fictional people

• Lex Luthor, the main super-villain of the Superman franchise
• Alex DeLarge, the main character from the novel A Clockwork Orange and its film adaptation
• Xander Harris, one of the main characters of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer franchise
• Alex Rider, the main character from the novel Stormbreaker and the film adaptation
• Alexander Rozhenko, the Klingon son of Worf in the television series "Star Trek: The Next Generation" and "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine"
• Alexander Portnoy - Protagonist of Portnoy's Complaint by Philip Roth
• Alex Cross, the main character of James Patterson's series of Alex Cross novels
• Alex Summers, a mutant also known as Havok and brother to Scott Summers in X-Men
• Alec Hardison, hacker in TNT's Leverage (TV series)
• Alex Karev, one of the main characters on ABC's Grey's Anatomy.
• Alex Mahone, one of the main characters on FOX's Prison Break.
• Alexander Cabot III, the rich, cowardly manager in the Josie and the Pussycats comic books and television shows.
• Alexander Anderson, superhuman warrior-priest in the anime/manga Hellsing, who opposes the Hellsing Organisation as the Vatican's most powerful anti-vampire specialist.

People with the surname Alexander

• Ann Alexander Smith (born 1942), Louisiana educator
• Archer Alexander (1828 – c. 1880), former black slave who served as the model for the slave in the Emancipation Memorial statue
• Doc Alexander (1898–1975), American NFL All-Pro football player
• Harold Alexander, 1st Earl Alexander of Tunis (1891–1969), British field marshal and Governor General of Canada
• Michael Alexander (British Army officer) (1920–2004), British Army officer and writer
• Moses Alexander (1853–1932), American Governor of Idaho
• Lloyd Alexander (1924–2007), American fantasy author
• Stephanie Alexander, Australian chef and food writer
• Danny Alexander, British Politician
• Shaun Alexander, NFL All-Pro runningback
• R. McNeill Alexander, Scientist, expert in biomechanics
• Manny Alexander, retired baseball player

Variants and diminutives

This unreferenced section requires citations to ensure verifiability.

• Albanian – Aleksandër, Leka, Lekë, Sandër, Skënder, Leksi, Leks, Aleko, Lisandër
• Amharic – እስከንደር (Eskender)
• Arabic – الاسكندر / اسكندر (Iskandar, Skandar, Skander)
• Aragonese – Alexandre, Alixandre
• Armenian – Ալեքսանդր (Aleksandr/Alexandr), Աղեքսանդր (Agheksandr), Ալեքսան (Aleksan/Alexan), Ալեք (Aleq), Ալիկ (Alik)
• Asturian – Alexandru
• Azerbaijani – İsgəndər (Isgandar)
• Bengali – Sikandar Alakshendra, Iskandar, Skandar, Alekzandar
• Bashkir – Искәндәр (Iskәndәr)
• Basque – Alesander, Alesandere (feminine), Alexander, Alexandere (feminine)
• Belarusian – Аляксандp (Aliaksandr, in normative spelling), Аляксандаp (Alaksandar, in Taraškievica spelling), Алeсь (Aleś)
• Bulgarian – Александър (Aleksandar), Александра (Alexandra feminine), Сандо (Sando), Сашо (Sasho), Aлекс (Aleks)
• Catalan – Alexandra (feminine), Alexandre, Àlex, Aleix, Sandra (feminine), Xandre
• Chinese – 亞歷山大/亚历山大 (Yàlìshāndà)
• Corsican – Lisandru
• Croatian – Aleksandar, Saša, Aco, Aleksandra (feminine)
• Czech – Alexandr, Aleš
• Danish – Alexander, Alex, Alexandra (feminine)
• Dutch – Alexander, Alex, Lex, Alexandra (feminine), Sander, Sandra (feminine), Xander
• English – Alexander, Alec, Alex, Al, Alexis, Alexa (feminine), Alexandria (feminine), Alexandra (feminine), Lex, Lexxi, Sandra (feminine), Sandy, Sasha (feminine), Xander, Xandra (feminine), Zandra (feminine), Zander
• Esperanto – Aleksandro, Aleksaĉjo, Aleĉjo, Aĉjo, Alekso, Alko, Alek, Alik, Aleksandra (feminine), Aleksino (feminine), Aleksanjo (feminine), Anjo (feminine)
• Estonian – Aleksander, Sander
• Ethiopian – Eskender, Iskinder
• Extremaduran – Alejandru
• Faroese – Aleksandur
• French – Alexandre, Alexis, Alex
• Filipino – Alexander, Alejandro, Alejo, Alex, Sandy, Zandro, Alexandra (feminine), Alessandra (feminine)
• Finnish – Aleksanteri, Aleksi, Santeri, Santtu
• Galician – Alexandre, Álex
• Georgian/ქართულად – ალექსანდრე (Alexandré),(Aleksandre) ალეკო (Aleko), ლექსო (Lexo).
• German – Alexander, Alex, Alexandrine (feminine), Alexandra (female), Sascha, Sandro, Sandra (female)
• Greek – Αλέξανδρος (Aléxandros), Αλέκος (Alekos), Αλεξάνδρα (Alexandra - female)
• Hawaiian - Alika
• Hebrew – אלכסנדר (Alexander), אלכס (Alex)
• Hindi – Hindustani – Sikandar Alakshendra अलक्षेन्द्र
• Hungarian – Sándor
• Indonesian – Iskandar
• Icelandic – Alexander, Alex, Alexis, Axel, Alexandra (feminine)
• Interlingua – Alexandro
• Irish (Gaeilge) – Alasandar, Alastar, Alsander
• Italian – Alessandro, Ale, Alex, Sandro, Alessio, Aleandro, Alessandra (feminine), Sandra (feminine), Alessia (feminine)
• Japanese – アレクサンドロス (Arekusandorosu), アレクサンダー (Arekusandā), アレキサンダー (Arekisandā)
• Javanese – Alexander, Iskandar
• Kazakh – Eskendir
• Korean – 알렉산드로스 (Alleksandeuroseu)
• Kurdish – Askander, Eskander, Îskenderê
• Kyrgyz – Искендер (İskender)
• Latvian – Aleksandrs
• Latin – Alexander, Alexandrus
• Lithuanian – Aleksandras, Aleksas
• Lombard – Lisander
• Macedonian – Александар (Aleksandar), Алек (Alek), Аце (Atse), Ацо (Atso), Сашо (Sasho)
• Malay – Iskandar
• Malayalam – ചാണ്ടി (Chandy)
• Maltese – Lixandru
• Mandarin Chinese - Yalishanda or Alishanda
• Manx – Alastar, Alister
• Mirandese – Alxandre
• Norwegian – Aleksander, Alek, Alexander, Alex, Sander, Alexandra (feminine)
• Occidental – Alexandro
• Occitan – Alexandre
• Persian – اسكندر (Eskandar). Middle Persian: Aleksandar
• Polish – Aleksander, Alek, Olek, Aleks
• Portuguese – Alexandre, Alexandra (feminine), Alexandro (rare), Alex, Sandro, Sandra (feminine), Alessandro, Alessandra (feminine), Xande, Xandre
• Romanian — Alexandru, Alexandra (feminine), Alex, Alexe, Sandu, Sanda (feminine), Sandra (feminine), Alecu, Aleca (feminine), Lisandru, Sașa
• Russian — Александр (Aleksandr), Александра (Aleksandra, feminine), Алик (Alik, male), Аля (Alia, male and feminine), Саша (Sasha), Шурик (Shurik), Саня (Sanya)
• Sanskrit language – Alikasundara
• Scots Gaelic – Alasdair, Alastair, Alistair, Alisdair, Aldair, Ally, Ali, Al
• Serbian – Александар (Aleksandar), Алекса (Aleksa), Алекс (Aleks), Алек (Alek), Лексо (Lekso), Саша (Saša), Сале (Sale), Ацa (Aca), Ацо (Aco), Александра (Aleksandra, feminine), Сандра (Sandra, feminine), Сашка (Saška, feminine) or Бранко, Бранило (Branko, Branilo) derived from бранити (from Greek: Αλέξανδρος which means to defend)
• Sicilian – Alissandru
• Sinhala - Ishkander
• Old Church Slavonic – Алєѯандръ (Aleksandr, Alexandr)
• Slovak – Alexander
• Slovene – Aleksander, Aleks, Sandi, Sašo
• Spanish – Alejandro, Alexandro, Alejo, Alex, Jandro, Jano, Lisandro, Sandro, Alejandra (feminine), Lisandra (feminine), Sandra (feminine)
• Swedish – Alexander, Alex, Alexandra (feminine)
• Tamil – Aleksandar
• Telugu – Alexandaru
• Thai – อเล็กซานเดอร์ (Aleksāndə̄[r] (Aleksandar))
• Turkish – İskender
• Ukrainian — Олександр (Olexandr, Oleksandr), Олекса (Oleksa, Olexa), Сашко (Sashko), Олесь (Oles')
• Urdu – Pakistani – سکندر (Sikandar) or اسكندر (Eskandar)
• Uzbek – Iskandar
• Venetian – Alessandro
• Vietnamese – Alêchxăngđrơ, A-Lịch-Sơn
• Võro – Aleksandri
• Welsh – Alecsander
• West Frisian – Aleksander
• Yiddish – סענדער – Sender, Senderl

See also

• Alex
• All pages beginning with "Alexander"
• Hera Alexandros, epithet of the Greek goddess Hera

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References