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Alexander

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For other uses, see the male first name.
Alexander
Alexander the Great
GenderMale
Origin
Word/nameGreek
MeaningProtector of man(mankind)

Alexander is a common male first name.

Origin

The name in English is taken from the Greek name Ἀλέξανδρος (Alexandros). Etymologically, the name is a compound of the Greek verb ἀλέξω (alexō) "to push back","to hold off" and the noun ἀνδρός (andros), genitive of ἀνήρ (anēr) "man". Thus it may be roughly translated as the man who was unbeatable[1].

The earliest attested record of the name is the Mycenaean Greek of the feminine Alexandra, written in Linear B.[2][3]

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.

In Russia, the name was uncommon until the time of Tsar Alexander I, due to whom it became one of the most common of Russian first names and gained a considerable number of Russian variations and abbreviations (see below).

Variants and diminutives

  • Albanian – Aleksandër, Aleks, Leka, Sandri, Skënder
  • Amharic – Eskender
  • Arabic – الاسكندر / اسكندر (Iskandar), Skandar, Skender
  • Armenian - Ալեքսանդր (Aleksandr/Alexandr), Ալեքսան (Aleksan/Alexan), Ալեք (Aleq), Ալիկ (Alik)
  • Belarusian – Аляксандp (Aliaksandr), Алeсь (Aleś)
  • Bulgarian - Александър (Aleksandar), Сашо (Sasho), Aлекс (Aleks)
  • Bangla - Sikandar Alakshendra, Iskandar, Skandar, Alekzandar
  • Catalan – Alexandre, Àlex, Xandre
  • Corsican - Lisandru
  • Croatian - Aleksandar, Saša
  • Czech - Alexandr
  • Dutch - Alexander, Sander, Xander
  • Ethiopian - Eskender
  • English – Alexander, Alec, Alex, Lex, Sandy, Andy, Alexis, Alexa, Alexandria, Alexandra, Sandra, Al, Sasha, Ali, Lexxi, Zander, Xander, Sashi, Eck
  • Esperanto – Aleksandro, Aleksaĉjo, Aleĉjo, Aĉjo, Alekso, Aleksandra (feminine), Aleksino (feminine), Aleksanjo (feminine), Anjo (feminine)
  • French - Alexandre, Alexis, Alex
  • Finnish - Aleksanteri, Santeri, Santtu
  • Galician – Alexandre, Álex
  • Georgian/ქართულად – ალექსანდრე (Aleksandre), ალეკო (Aleko), ლექსო (Lekso), სანდრო (Sandro)
  • Greek - Αλέξανδρος
  • Hebrew – אלכסנדר (Alexander), אלכס (Alex)
  • Hindi – Hindustani – Sikandar Alakshendra अलक्षेन्द्र
  • Hungarian – Sándor
  • Irish (Gaeilge) – Alasandar
  • Italian – Alessandro, Ale, Sandro, Alessio
  • Japanese - Arrekusu
  • Kurdish - Askander, Eskander
  • Kyrgyz – Искендер (İskender)
  • Latvian – Aleksandrs (Aleksandrs)
  • Malay – Iskandar
  • Malayalam – ചാണ്ടി (Chandy)
  • Maltese – Lixandru
  • Norwegian – Aleksander
  • Persian – اسكندر (Eskandar)
  • Polish - Aleksander, Alek, Olek, Aleks
  • Portuguese – Alexandre, Alexandra (feminine), Alexandro (rare), Alex, Sandro, Sandra (feminine), Sandrina (feminine), Alessandro, Alessandra (feminine)
  • Romanian — Alexandru, Alexandra (feminine), Alex, Sandu, Sanda (feminine), Sandra (feminine), Alecu, Aleca (feminine), Sasa (feminine)
  • Russian — Александр (Aleksandr), Саша (Sasha), Шура (Shura), Саня (Sanya), Шурик (Shurik), Сашок (Sashok), Алик (Alik)
  • Sanskrit language – Alekchendra
  • Scots Gaelic – Alasdair, Alastair, Alistair, Alisdair
  • Serbian - Александар (Aleksandar), Алекса (Aleksa), Алекс (Aleks), Саша (Saša), Сале (Sale), Аца (Aca)
  • Slovenian - Aleksander, Aleks, Sandi, Sašo
  • Spanish - Alejandro, Alejo, Alex, Jandro, Jano
  • Swedish - Alexander, Alex, Alexandra (feminine)
  • Tamil – Aleksandar
  • Turkish – İskender
  • Ukrainian — Олександр (Olexandr, Oleksandr), Сашко (Sashko), Олесь (Oles')
  • Urdu – Hindustani – Sikandar
  • Urdu – Pakistani – Sikander ("Sikander-e-Azam" is "Alexander the Great")
  • Uzbek – Iskandar
  • Yiddish – סענדער – Sender, Senderl

Alexander as a given name

Monarchs

Antiquity

Middle Ages

Modern

Religious leaders

Other people

A few other princes have borne the name Alexander:

Alexander as a surname

Fictional people with the name Alexander

See also

References

  1. ^ http://el.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E1%BC%80%CE%BB%CE%AD%CE%BE%CF%89
  2. ^ Mycenaean (Linear B) – English Glossary
  3. ^ The Mycenaean World, John Chadwick, New York: Cambridge University Press, 1976, 1999
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