Alexander

From the ancient Greek name Alexandros, composed of the elements alexein, meaning to defend, and aner, meaning man, so the name carries the sense of defender of men. It was borne most famously by Alexander the Great, the Macedonian king of the fourth century BCE whose conquests spread Greek culture across a vast territory from Egypt to Central Asia, giving the name enduring prestige throughout Europe and beyond. The Latinized form Alexander spread widely through the medieval Christian world, partly through the veneration of several saints and popes who bore it. Closely related forms include Alessandro in Italian, Alejandro in Spanish, Alexandre in French and Portuguese, Aleksandr in Russian, and the short forms Alex, Alec, and Xander.