Alexander () is a masculine name of Greek origin. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history.
Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Aleksander, Oleksandr, Oleksander, Aleksandr, and Alekzandr. Related names and diminutives include Iskandar, Alec, Alek, Alekos, Alex, Alexsander, Alexandre, Aleks, Aleksa, Aleksandre, Alejandro, Alessandro, Alasdair, Sasha, Sandy, Sandro, Sikandar, Skander, Sander and Xander; feminine forms include Alexandra, Alexandria, and Sasha.
Etymology
The name Alexander originates from the (; 'defending men'. or 'protector of men'). It is a compound of the verb (; 'to ward off, avert, defend'). and the noun (, genitive: , ; meaning 'man')..
The earliest attested form of the name, is the Mycenaean Greek feminine anthroponym , , (/Alexandra/), written in the Linear B syllabic script. Alaksandu, alternatively called Alakasandu or Alaksandus, was a king of Wilusa who sealed a treaty with the Hittite king Muwatalli II c. 1280 BC; this is generally assumed to have been a Greek called Alexandros.
The name was one of the 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 also known as Alexander.Ἀλέξανδρος, Georg Autenrieth, A Homeric Dictionary, on the Perseus Digital Library. The name's popularity was spread throughout the Greek world by the military conquests of Alexander the Great. Most later Alexanders in various countries were directly or indirectly named after him.
Rulers of antiquity
Alexander (Alexandros of Ilion), more often known as Paris of Troy Alexander I of Macedon Alexander II of Macedon Alexander the Great Alexander IV of Macedon Alexander V 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 of Corinth, viceroy of Antigonus Gonatas and ruler of a rump state based on Corinth c. 250 BC Alexander (satrap) (died 220 BC), satrap of Persis under Seleucid king Antiochus III 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 Gaius Julius Alexander, Roman client king in Cilicia from 58 to 72 Alexander Severus (208–235), Roman emperor Julius Alexander, lived in the 2nd century, an Emesene nobleman 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) Nicholas Alexander of Wallachia, Voivode of Wallachia (died 1364) Ivan Alexander of Bulgaria, tsar of Bulgaria (beginnings of the 14th century – 1371) Aleksandr Mikhailovich of Tver, Prince of Tver as Alexander I and Grand Prince of Vladimir-Suzdal as Alexander II (1301–1339) Aleksander (1338–before 1386), Prince of Podolia (son of Narymunt) Alexander II of Georgia (1483–1510) Eskender, Emperor of Ethiopia (1472–1494) Alexander Jagiellon (Alexander of Poland), King of Poland (1461–1506)
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 modern Bulgaria 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), head of the Yugoslav Royal Family Zog I, also known as Skenderbeg III (1895–1961), king of Albanians Alexander of Greece (1893–1920), king of Greece Leka, Crown Prince of Albania (1939–2011), king of Albanians (throne pretender) Willem-Alexander, King of the Netherlands (born 1967), eldest child of Queen Beatrix and Prince Claus
Other royalty
Alexander, Judean Prince, one of the sons of Herod the Great from his wife Mariamne Alexander Helios, Ptolemaic prince, one of the sons of Cleopatra and Mark Anthony 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 Alfred of Edinburgh and Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1874–1899) Olav V of Norway (Prince Alexander of Denmark) (1903–1991)
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 1159–1181) 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 Antiquity
Alexander (artists), the name of a number of artists of ancient Greece and Rome Alexander of Lyncestis (died 330 BC), contemporary of Alexander the Great Alexander (son of Polyperchon) (died 314 BC), regent of Macedonia Alexander (Antigonid general), 3rd-century BC cavalry commander under Antigonus III Doson Alexander of Athens, 3rd-century BC Athenian comic poet Alexander Aetolus (), poet and member of the Alexandrian Pleiad Alexander (son of Lysimachus) (), Macedonian royal Alexander (grandson of Seleucus I Nicator) (), Greek Anatolian nobleman Alexander (Aetolian general), briefly conquered Aegira in 220 BC Alexander of Acarnania (died 191 BC), confidant of Antiochus III the Great Alexander Isius (), Aetolian military commander Alexander (Ephesian) (), mentioned in the First Epistle to Timothy Alexander Lychnus, early 1st-century BC poet and historian Alexander Philalethes, 1st century BC physician Alexander Polyhistor, Greek scholar of the 1st century BC Alexander of Myndus, ancient Greek writer on zoology and divination Alexander of Aegae, peripatetic philosopher of the 1st century AD Alexander of Cotiaeum, 2nd-century Greek grammarian and tutor of Marcus Aurelius Alexander Numenius, 2nd-century Greek rhetorician Alexander Peloplaton, 2nd-century Greek rhetorician Alexander of Abonoteichus (), Greek religious leader and imposter Alexander of Aphrodisias (), Greek commentator and philosopher Alexander of Lycopolis, 4th-century author of an early Christian treatise against Manicheans Alexander, a member of the Jerusalem Temple Sanhedrin mentioned in Acts 4:6
Middle Ages Alexander of Hales, English theologian in the 13th century
Modern Alexander (magician) (1880–1954), American stage magician specializing in mentalism
People with the given name People with the given name Alexander or variants include:
Technoblade (1999–2022), American YouTuber, real name Alexander, surname not made public Alexander (1927–2023), British sculptor and conceptual artist Alexander Aigner (1909–1988), Austrian mathematician Aleksandr Akimov (1953–1986), Russian nuclear engineer who died in Chernobyl Alexander Albon (born 1996), Thai-British racing driver Alexander Alekhine (1892-1946), Russian-French chess player Alexander Vasilyevich Alexandrov (1883–1946), Russian composer Aleksander Allila (1890–?), Finnish politician Alexander Argov (1914–1995), Russian-born Israeli composer Alexander Armah (born 1994), American football player Alexander Armstrong (born 1970), British comedian and singer Aleksandr Averbukh (born 1974), Israeli pole vaulter Alex Baldock (born 1970), British businessman Alec Baldwin (born Alexander Rae Baldwin III, 1958), American actor Aleksander Barkov (born 1995), Finnish ice hockey player Alexander G. Bassuk, American pediatric neurologist Alexander Graham Bell (1847–1922), Scottish inventor of the first practical telephone Alexander Björk (born 1990), Swedish golfer Alexander Borodin (1833–1887), Russian composer Alexander Burnett (disambiguation), several people Alexander Calder (1898–1976), American sculptor best known for making mobiles Alexander Milne Calder (1846-1923), American sculptor Alexander Stirling Calder (1870-1945), American sculptor Alexander Chalmers (1645–1703), Polish-Scottish merchant, jurist, politician Aleksandr Davidovich (disambiguation), several people Alexander Davidson (disambiguation), several people Alexander Day (disambiguation), several people Alexander Nicholas de Abrew Abeysinghe (1894–1963), Sri Lankan Sinhala politician Alex DeBrincat (born 1997), American ice hockey player Alexander Davidovich Dilman (born 1976), Russian organic chemist Aleksandar Djordjevic (born 1967), Serbian basketball player Alexander Donchenko (born 1998), German chess grandmaster Alexander Dubček (1921–1992), leader of Czechoslovakia (1968–1969) Alexander Fach (born 2002), Swiss racing driver Alex Ebert (born 1978), American singer-songwriter Alexander Lee (born 1988), also known as Alexander or Xander, South Korean singer, member of U-KISS Alexander Exarch (1810–1891), Bulgarian revivalist, publicist and journalist, participant in the struggle for an independent Bulgarian Exarchate Alex Ferguson (born 1941), Scottish football player and manager Alexander Fleming (1881–1955), Scottish discoverer of penicillin Alexander Zusia Friedman (1897–1943), Polish rabbi, educator, activist, and journalist Aleksander Gabelic (born 1965), Swedish politician Alex Galchenyuk (born 1994), American ice hockey player Aleksander Gamme (born 1976), Norwegian adventurer Alexander Gardner (disambiguation), multiple people Alexander Glazunov (1865–1936), Russian composer Alexander Goldberg (born 1974), British rabbi, barrister, and human rights activist Alexander Goldberg (chemical engineer), Israeli chemical engineer and President of the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology Alexander Goldscheider (born 1950), Czech/British composer, producer and writer Alexander Gomelsky (1928–2005), Russian head coach of USSR basketball national team for 30 years Alexander Gordon (disambiguation), several people Aleksandr Gordon (1931–2020), Russian-Soviet director, screenwriter and actor Aleksandr Gorelik (1945–2012), Soviet figure skater Alexander Gould (born 1994), American actor Alexander Grothendieck (1928–2014), German-born French mathematician Alexander Gustafsson (born 1987), Swedish mixed martial arts fighter Alexander Haig (1924–2010), American general and politician Alexander Hamilton (1755–1804), first United States Secretary of the Treasury and one of the founding fathers of the United States Alexander Hamilton Jr. (1786–1875), American attorney and son of Alexander Hamilton Alexander Hamilton Jr. (1816–1889), son of James Alexander Hamilton and grandson of Alexander Hamilton Alexander Haugg (born 1968), German actor Alexander Held (1958–2026), German actor Alexander Henn, German anthropologist Alexander Henry (1823–1883), mayor of Philadelphia Alex Higgins (1949–2010), Northern Irish snooker player Alexander Hofmann (born 1992), German politician Alexander Hollins (born 1996), American football player Alexander Holtz (born 2002), Swedish ice hockey player Alex Horne (born 1978), British comedian