Alexander
/ˌælɪɡˈzændər/noun
A masculine given name of Greek origin meaning a defender or protector of people.
Did you know?In Homeric Greek, Alexandros was used as another name for Paris of Troy, linking the name to one of mythology’s most famous—and disastrous—figures.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*h₂lek-
“To ward off, protect, or defend”
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*h₂ner-
“Man or male person”
Ancient Greek
Greek
Ἀλέξανδρος (Aléxandros)
“Defender of men; protector of people”
8th–7th Century BCE
Greek
Ἀλεξάνδρος (Alexandros)
“A personal name and an epithet associated with defending men”
4th Century BCE
Greek
Ἀλέξανδρος
“The name borne by Alexander III of Macedon, later called Alexander the Great”
Medieval English
English
Alexander
“A personal name transmitted through Latin and French Christian naming traditions”
Modern English
English
Alexander
“A widely used masculine given name”
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