The name Alexander

Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, German, Dutch, Hungarian, Slovak
Pronounced: al-eg-ZAN-dur (English), ah-lek-SAHN-der (German), ah-luk-SAHN-dur (Dutch)

From the Greek name Αλεξανδρος (Alexandros), which meant "defending men" from Greek αλεξω (alexo) "to defend, help" and ανηρ (aner) "man" (genitive ανδρος).

This name was most famously borne by Alexander the Great, King of Macedon. In the 4th century BC he built a huge empire out of Greece, Egypt, Persia, and parts of India. The name was later used by emperors of Russia, kings of Scotland and Yugoslavia, and eight popes. Another notable bearer was Sir Alexander MacKenzie, an explorer of the north and west of Canada in the 18th century.

Scots diminutive (or pet name) is Sandy; in English it is Alex and in Russian (and Czech) it is Sasha.