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* [[Alexander ( |
* [[Alexander Pope]] (1688–1744), English poet |
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* [[Alexander Hamilton]] (1755–1804), a Founding Father of the United States |
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* [[Alexander Pushkin]] (1799–1837), Russian writer |
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* [[Alexandre Dumas, père|Alexandre Dumas]] (1802–1870), French writer |
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* [[Alexander Graham Bell]] (1847–1922), inventor of the first practical telephone |
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* [[Alexander Fleming]] (1881–1955), discoverer of penicillin |
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* [[Alexander (magician)]] (1880–1954), stage magician specializing in mentalism |
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* [[Alexander Korda]] (1893–1956), film director |
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* [[Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn]] (1918–2008), Russian writer |
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* [[Alexander Dubček]] (1921–1992), leader of Czechoslovakia (1968–1969) |
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* [[Alexander Salkind]] (1921–1997), film producer |
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* [[Alexander Haig]] (1924–2010), United States general and politician |
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* [[Alexander McCall Smith]] (born 1948), Scottish writer |
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* [[Alexander O'Neal]] (born 1953), American singer |
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* [[Alec Baldwin]] (born 1958), American actor |
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* [[Sandy Lyle]] (born 1958), Scottish golfer |
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* [[Alexander McQueen]] (1969–2010), British fashion designer |
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* [[Alexander Popov (swimmer)|Alexander Popov]] (born 1971) Russian swimmer |
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=== Fictional people with the name Alexander === |
=== Fictional people with the name Alexander === |
Revision as of 12:00, 16 September 2010
Gender | Male |
---|---|
Origin | |
Word/name | Greek |
Meaning | "Defender of Man" |
Alexander is a common male first name, and less common surname. The most famous is Alexander the Great, the King of Macedon who created one of the largest empires in ancient history.
Origin
Etymologically, the name is derived from the Greek "Αλέξανδρος" (Aléxandros), meaning "defending men" [1] or "protector of men", a compound of the verb "ἀλέξω" (alexō), "to ward off, to avert, to defend"[2] and the noun "ἀνδρός" (andros), genitive of "ἀνήρ" (anēr), "man".[3] 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.[citation needed]
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.[4][5][6]
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.[7] 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.[citation needed]
Alexander as a given name
Alexander has been the name of many rulers, including kings of Macedon, kings of Scotland, emperors of Russia and popes.
Rulers of antiquity
- Alaksandu, ca. 1280 BC
- 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 II of Epirus king of Epirus 272 BC
- Alexander the Great (Alexander III of Macedon), King of Macedon, 356–323 BC
- Alexander IV of Macedon
- Alexander Balas, ruler of the Seleucid kingdom of Syria between 150 and 146 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 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 (king) (1917–1920), king of Greece
- Leka, Crown Prince of Albania, (born 1939), king of Albanians (throne pretender)
- Willem-Alexander, Prince of Orange
Other royals
- 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)
- 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" ca. 1339–1410)
- Pope Alexander VI, (1493–1503), 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, a contemporary of Alexander the Great
- Alexander Aetolus, a poet and member of the Alexandrian Pleiad
- Alexander, son of Lysimachus, 3rd century BC Macedonian royal
- Alexander Marralha, 3rd century bc Portugal King
- 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
Modern
- Alexander Pope (1688–1744), English poet
- Alexander Hamilton (1755–1804), a Founding Father of the United States
- Alexander Pushkin (1799–1837), Russian writer
- Alexandre Dumas (1802–1870), French writer
- Alexander Graham Bell (1847–1922), inventor of the first practical telephone
- Alexander Fleming (1881–1955), discoverer of penicillin
- Alexander (magician) (1880–1954), stage magician specializing in mentalism
- Alexander Korda (1893–1956), film director
- Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (1918–2008), Russian writer
- Alexander Dubček (1921–1992), leader of Czechoslovakia (1968–1969)
- Alexander Salkind (1921–1997), film producer
- Alexander Haig (1924–2010), United States general and politician
- 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 McQueen (1969–2010), British fashion designer
- Alexander Popov (born 1971) Russian swimmer
Fictional people with the name Alexander
- Alex (A Clockwork Orange), 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
- Alexander (Summons), a summoned avatar from the Final Fantasy series of games
- 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"
- Sasha Nein, a main character from the video game Psychonauts.
Variants and diminutives
- Albanian – Aleksandër, Leka, Lekë, Sandër, Skënder, Leksi, Leks, Aleko, Lisandër
- Amharic – እስከንደር (Eskender)
- Arabic – الاسكندر / اسكندر (Iskandar)
- Aragonese – Alexandre, Alixandre
- Armenian – Ալեքսանդր (Aleksandr/Alexandr), Ալեքսան (Aleksan/Alexan), Ալեք (Aleq), Ալիկ (Alik)
- Asturian – Alexandru
- Azerbaijani – İsgəndər (Isgandar)
- Bangla – Sikandar Alakshendra, Iskandar, Skandar, Alekzandar
- Bashkir – Искәндәр (Iskәndәr)
- Basque – Alesander
- Belarusian – Аляксандp (Aliaksandr, in normative spelling), Аляксандаp (Alaksandar, in Taraškievica spelling), Алeсь (Aleś)
- Bosnian – Aleksandar
- Bulgarian – Александър (Aleksandar), Сашо (Sasho), Aлекс (Aleks)
- Catalan – Alexandra (feminine), Alexandre, Àlex, Aleix, Xandre
- Chinese – 亞歷山大 (Yalishanda)
- Corsican – Lisandru
- Croatian – Aleksandar, Saša, Aco, Aleksandra (feminine)
- Czech – Alexandr
- Danish – Alexander, Alex, Alexandra (feminine)
- Dutch – Alexander, Alex, Lex, Sander, Xander
- Estonian – Aleksander, Sander
- Ethiopian – Eskender
- English – Alexander, Alec, Alex, Alan, Ali, Al, Andy, 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, Aleksandra (feminine), Aleksino (feminine), Aleksanjo (feminine), Anjo (feminine)
- Extremaduran – Alejandru
- Faroese – Aleksandur
- French – Alexandre, Alexis, Alex
- Filipino – Alexander, Alejandro, Alejo, Alex, Sandy, Zandro, Alexandra (feminine), Alessandra (feminine)
- Finnish – Aleksanteri, Santeri, Santtu
- Galician – Alexandre, Álex
- Georgian/ქართულად – ალექსანდრე (Alexandré),(Aleksandre) ალეკო (Aleko), ლექსო (Lexo).
- German – Alexander, Alex, Alexandrine (feminine), Alexandra (female), Sascha, Sander
- Greek – Αλέξανδρος (Aléxandros)
- 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 – アレキサンダー (Alexander), アレックス (Arekkusu), アレクサンドロス (Arekusandorosu)
- Javanese – Alexander, Iskandar
- Kazakh – Eskendir
- Korean – 알렉산드로스 (Alleksandeuroseu), (알렉산드로스 대왕 Alleksandeuroseu Daewang means Alexander the Great)
- Kurdish – Askander, Eskander, Îskenderê
- Kyrgyz – Искендер (İskender)
- Latvian – Aleksandrs (Aleksandrs)
- Latin – Alexander, Alexandrus
- Lithuanian– Aleksandras
- 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 – Alexander,Alex,Alexandra(feminine)
- Occiadental – Alexandro
- Occitan – Alexandre
- Persian – اسكندر (Eskandar) or اسکندر گجسته (Eskandare Gojaste)
- 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, Sandu, Sanda (feminine), Sandra (feminine), Alecu, Aleca (feminine), Sasa (feminine)
- Russian — Александр (Aleksandr), Александра (Aleksandra, feminine), Саша (Sasha), Сашка (Sashka), Сашок (Sashok), Шура (Shura), Шурик (Shurik), Саня (Sanya), Санька (San'ka), Санёк (Sanyok), Алик (Alik), Сан Саныч (San Sanych) [if his father's name is Aleksandr too, a shorten form for Александр Александрович (Aleksandr Aleksandrovich)], Лексан (Leksan)(spoken, non-official,usually with a patronymic name, e.g. Лексан Михалыч (Lexan Mikhalych), shorten form for Александр Михайлович (Aleksandr Mikhailovich))
- Sanskrit language – Alekchendra
- Scots Gaelic – Alasdair, Alastair, Alistair, Alisdair, Aldair
- Serbian – Александар (Aleksandar), Алекса (Aleksa), Алекс (Aleks), Саша (Saša), Сале (Sale), Аца (Aca), Александра (Aleksandra, feminine), Сандра (Sandra, feminine), Сашка (Saška, feminine)
- 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, Alejandra (feminine), Lisandra (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
- All pages with titles beginning with Alexander
- Hera Alexandros, an epithet of the Greek goddess Hera
References
- ^ ἀλέξανδρος, Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon, on Perseus Digital Library
- ^ ἀλέξω, Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon, on Perseus Digital Library
- ^ ἀνήρ, Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon, on Perseus Digital Library
- ^ a-re-ka-sa-da-ra (Alexandra) Palaeolexicon, Word study tool of ancient languages
- ^ Mycenaean (Linear B) – English Glossary
- ^ The Mycenaean World, John Chadwick, New York: Cambridge University Press, 1976, 1999
- ^ Ἀλέξανδρος, Georg Autenrieth, A Homeric Dictionary, on Perseus Digital Library