Alexandru

Alexandru
Pronunciation	[alekˈsandru]
Gender	Male
Language(s)	Romanian
Origin
Meaning	Defender of Man
Other names
See also	Alexander, Alex, Alessandro, Alexandre, Alejandro

Alexandru is the Romanian form of the name Alexander. Common diminutives are Alecu, Alex, and Sandu.

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.

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".

Rulers

(in chronological order)

Alexandru cel Bun (d.1432), Prince of Moldavia 1400–1432
Alexandru I Aldea (1397–1436), Prince of Wallachia 1431–1436
Alexandru Lăpuşneanu, Voivode of Moldavia (1499–1568)
Alexandru Lăpuşneanu Prince of Moldavia 1552–1561 and 1564–1568
Alexandru II Mircea, Hospodar of Wallachia 1568–1574 and 1574–1577
Alexandru Ghica, Prince of Wallachia 1766–1768
Alexandru Suţu (1758–1821), Prince of Moldavia and Prince of Wallachia
Alexandru II Ghica (1796–1862), Prince of Wallachia
Alexandru Ioan Cuza (1820–1873), Prince of Moldavia, Domnitor of the United Principalities of Wallachia and Moldavia 1859–1866

Prime ministers

Religious leaders

Other people

People with the surname

Constantin Alexandru (1953–2014), Romanian sport wrestler
Iliaș Alexandru, Ruler of Moldova
Ioan Alexandru (1941–2000), Romanian poet and politician
Maria Alexandru (1939–2024), Romanian table tennis player
Marian Alexandru (born 1977), Romanian footballer
Nicoleta Alexandru (born 1968), Romanian singer
Sadie Alexandru (born 1977), American actress and model
Valentin Alexandru (born 1991), Romanian footballer
Vasile Alexandru (born 1935), Romanian footballer

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

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[1] ἀλέξανδρος, Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon, on Perseus Digital Library

[2] ἀλέξω, Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon, on Perseus Digital Library

[3] ἀνήρ, Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon, on Perseus Digital Library

[4] -re-ka-sa-da-ra (Alexandra) Palaeolexicon, Word study tool of ancient languages

[5] Mycenaean (Linear B) – English Glossary

[6] The Mycenaean World, John Chadwick, New York: Cambridge University Press, 1976, 1999

[7] Ἀλέξανδρος, Georg Autenrieth, A Homeric Dictionary, on Perseus Digital Library

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