Cuza, Alexander John

Cuza, Alexander John, or Alexander John I, 1820-73, first prince of Romania (1859-66), b. Moldavia. An officer who participated in the 1848 revolution and in the political struggle for the union of the principalities, he was elected prince of both Moldavia and Walachia in 1859, and in 1862 he was recognized by the Ottoman Empire as sovereign of the united principalities, thenceforth known as Romania. In 1864 he emancipated the serfs and allowed peasants to acquire land, thereby alienating the powerful landlords. His educational and legal reforms included the founding of the universities of Bucharest and of Iaşi and the promulgation of penal and civil codes. In 1866, conspirators, taking advantage of the country's financial difficulties, discontent over the agrarian policy, and Cuza's scandalous personal life, forced him to abdicate. He went into exile, first to Paris, later to Vienna, Florence, and Heidelberg.

Alexander is a common male first name.

Origin

The name in English is taken from the Greek name Ἀλέξανδρος (Alexandros). Etymologically, the name is a compound of the Greek verb ἀλέξειν (alexein) "to defend" and the noun ἀνδρός (andros), genitive of ἀνήρ (anēr) "man". Thus it may be roughly translated as "protector of man". The term is either a rare type of "inverse tatpurusha" compound, with the modifier in second position (the cognate Sanskrit tatpurusha being *nararakṣa, cf. Ramayana 6.33.45; the exact Sanskrit counterpart would be *rakṣinara, from PIE hleks(i)-hnros), or a worn-down terpsimbrotos type compound, whose original verbal meaning was "he protects men".

The earliest attested record of the name is the Mycenaean Greek of the feminine Alexandra, written in Linear B (The Mycenaean World, by John Chadwick, New York: Cambridge University Press, 1976, 1999).

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 the aid of warriors". In the Iliad, the character Paris is known also as Alexander. The name's popularity was spread throughout the Greek world by the military conquests of King Alexander III of Macedonia, commonly known as "Alexander the Great". Most later Alexanders in various countries were directly or indirectly named for him.

In Russia, the name was uncommon until the time of Tsar Alexander I, due to whom it became one of the most common of Russian first names and gained a considerable number of Russian variations and abbreviations (see following).

Variants and diminutives

• Albanian – Aleksandër, Aleks or Leka i Madh, Lekë (mostly in north Albania) Sandër, Skëndër, Skender (The name of national heroes of Albanians Skenderbeu is a remain of Alexander, Iskander)
• Amharic – Eskender
• Arabic – الاسكندر / اسكندر (Iskandar), Skandar, Skender
• Belarusian – Аляксандp (Aliaksandr), Алeсь (Ales'), Алелька (Alyel'ka)
• Bulgarian - Александър (Aleksandar), Сашо (Sasho), Aлекс (Aleks)
• Catalan – Alexandre, Àlex, Xandre
• Corsican - Lisandru
• Czech - Alexandr
• Dutch - Alexander, Sander
• English – Alexander, Alec, Alex, Lex, Sandy, Andy, Alexis, Alexa, Alexandria, Alexandra, Sandra, Al, Sasha, Ali, Lexxi, Zander, Xander, Sashi, Eck
• French - Alexandre, Alexis, Alex
• Finnish - Aleksanteri, Santeri, Santtu
• Galician – Alexandre, Álex
• Georgian/ქართულად – ალექსანდრე (Alexandre), ალეკო (Aleko), ლექსო (Lekso), სანდრო (Sandro)
• Greek - Αλέξανδρος
• Hebrew – אלכסנדר (Alexander), אלכס (Alex)
• Hindi – Hindustani – Sikandar
• Hungarian – Sándor
• Irish (Gaeilge) – Alasandar
• Italian – Alessandro, Ale, Sandro, Alessio
• Kurdish - Askander, Eskander
• Kyrgyz – Искендер (İskender)
• Macedonian - Александар (Aleksandar), Сашо (Sasho), Aлексa (Aleksa), Ацо (Aco)
• Malay – Iskandar
• Malayalam – ചാണ്ടി (Chandy)
• Maltese – Lixandru
• Norwegian – Aleksander
• Persian – اسكندر (Eskandar)
• Polish - Aleksander, Alek, Olek, Aleks
• Portuguese – Alexandre, Alexandra (feminine), Alexandro (rare), Xana (feminine), Alex, Xande, Sandro, Sandra (feminine), Sandrina (feminine), Alessandro, Alessandra (feminine)
• Romanian — Alexandru, Alexandra (feminine), Alex, Sandu, Sanda (feminine), Sandra (feminine)
• Russian — Александр (Alexandr), Саша (Sasha), Шура (Shura), Саня (Sanya), Шурик (Shurik), Сашок (Sashok)
• Sanskrit language – Alekchendra
• Scots Gaelic – Alasdair, Alastair, Alistair, Alisdair
• Slovenian - Aleksander, Aleks, Sandi, Sašo
• Serbian - Александар (Aleksandar), Алекса (Aleksa), Алекс (Aleks), Саша (Sasa), Сале (Sale)
• Spanish - Alejandro, Alejo, Alex, Jandro, Jano
• Tamil language – Aleksandar
• Turkish – İskender
• Ukrainian — Олександр (Olexandr), Сашко (Sashko)
• Urdu – Hindustani – Sikandar
• Urdu – Pakistani – Sikander ("Sikander-e-Azam" is "Alexander the Great")
• Uzbek – Iskandar
• Yiddish – סענדער – Sender, Senderl

Alexander as a given name

Monarchs

Antiquity

• Alaksandu, ca. 1280 BC
• Alexander of Corinth, 10th king of Corinth (816–791 BC)
• Alexander I 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 II of Macedon
• Alexander the Great (Alexander III of Macedon), King of Macedon, 356–323 BC
• Alexander IV of Macedon
• Alexander Balas, ruler of the Seleucid kingdom of Syria between 150 and 146 BC
• Alexander Severus, (208–235), Roman Empire
• Domitius Alexander, Roman usurper who declared himself emperor in 308

Middle Ages

• Alexander, Byzantine Emperor (912–913)
• Alexander I of Scotland (c. 1078–1124)
• Alexander II of Scotland (1198–1249)
• Alexander Nevsky (1220–1263), Grand Prince of Novgorod and Vladimir
• Alexander III of Scotland (1241–1286)
• Aleksander (1338–before 1386), prince of Podolia (son of Narymunt)
• Sikandar Butshikan, Sultan of Kashmir (1389–1413)
• Alexandru cel Bun, voivode of Moldavia (1400–1432)
• Skenderbeg (1405–1468), prince of Albania
• Alexandru I Aldea, ruler of the principality of Wallachia (1431–1436)
• Eskender, Emperor of Ethiopia (1472–1494)
• Alexander Jagiellon (Alexander of Poland) (1461–1506), king of Poland
• Alexandru Lăpuşneanu, voivode of Moldavia (1552–1561 and 1564–1568)
• Sikandar Shah Suri, Shah of Delhi (1555)
• Sikandar Lodhi, Sultan of Delhi (16th Century)

Modern

• Alexander I of Russia (1777–1825), emperor of Russia
• Sikandar Jah, Nizam of Hyderabad, (1803–1829)
• Alexander II of Russia (1818–1881), emperor of Russia
• Alexander III of Russia (1845–1894), emperor of Russia
• Alexander Karadjordjevic, Prince of Serbia (1842–1858)
• Alexander of Bulgaria (1857–1893), first prince of Bulgaria
• Alexander John Cuza, prince of Romania (1859–1866)
• Alexander Obrenovic (1876–1903), king of Serbia
• Alexander, Prince of Lippe (1831–1905), prince of Lippe
• Alexander of Yugoslavia (1888–1934), first king of Yugoslavia
• Zog I also known as Skenderbeg III, (1895–1961), king of Albanians
• Alexander of Greece (king) (1917–1920), king of Greece
• Leka, Crown Prince of Albania, (born 1939), king of Albanians (throne pretender)
• Willem-Alexander, Prince of Orange
• Alexander (count of Bergstien, Norway)
• Aleksander Zenunllari, (Albanian Leader, in the future)

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 1164–1168)
• Pope Alexander IV, (pope 1243–1254)
• Pope Alexander V, ("Peter Philarges" ca. 1339–1410)
• Pope Alexander VI, (1493–1503), 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 Essebiensis aka Alexander of Ashby, 13th century prior and poet
• Alexander of Jerusalem
• See also Saint Alexander, various saints with this name

Other people

• Alexander (artists), the name of a number of artists of ancient Greece, Rome and Macedon
• Alexander (3rd century BC general), commanded the cavalry under Antigonus III Doson
• Alexander of Athens, Athenian comic poet
• Alexander Lyncestes, a contemporary of Alexander the Great
• Alexander Aetolus, a poet and member of the Alexandrian Pleiad
• Alexander, son of Lysimachus, 3rd century BC Macedonian royal
• Alexander of Aetolia, briefly conquered Aegira in 220 BC
• Alexander (general), son of Polyperchon, the regent of Macedonia
• Alexander Isius, 2nd century military commander of the Aetolians
• Alexander of Acarnania (d. 191 BC), confidante of Antiochus III the Great
• Alexander Lychnus, early 1st century BC poet and historian
• Alexander Jannaeus, 1st century BC king of Judea
• Alexander Polyhistor, Greek scholar of the 1st century
• Alexander of Myndus, ancient Greek writer on zoology and divination
• Alexander of Aegae, peripatetic philosopher of the 1st century
• Alexander of Judaea, son of Aristobulus II, king of Judaea
• Alexander of Cotiaeum, 2nd century Greek grammarian and tutor of Marcus Aurelius
• Alexander the Paphlagonian, 2nd century Greek imposter
• Alexander Peloplaton, Greek rhetorician of the 2nd century
• Alexander of Lycopolis, 4th century author of an early Christian treatise against Manicheans
• Alexander Beyer (* 1973), German actor
• Claude Alexander Conlin (1880–1954), stage magician
• Alexander Graham Bell (1847–1922)
• Alexander of Aphrodisias, Greek commentator and philosopher
• Alexander of Greece (rhetorician)
• Alexander of Hales, 13th-century Medieval theologian
• Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859), a German natural scientist
• Alexander, le Pargiter, 13th-century abbot
• Alexander Pope (1688-1744), English Poet
• Alexander Pushkin (1799–1837), Russian author (Germanized form of name)
• Paris (mythology) aka Alexander, the Trojan prince who kidnapped Helen
• Alexandre, Chevalier de Vendôme (1598–1629), illegitiate child of Henry IV of France
• Prince Alexander John of Wales (1871), short-lived son of Edward VII

A few other princes have borne the name Alexander:

• George V of Hanover (1819–1878)
• Prince Alfred of Edinburgh and Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1874–1899)
• Prince George, Duke of Kent (1902–1942)
• Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester (1944–)

Alexander as a surname

• see Alexander (surname)

Fictional people with the name Alexander

• Hamish Alexander, a character in David Weber's Honorverse
• Lyta Alexander, a Telepath in the Science fiction TV-series Babylon 5
• Alexander (Summons), a summoned avatar from the Final Fantasy series of games. He is one of the terrestrial avatars in Final Fantasy XI
• Alexander Anderson, a regenerative warrior-priest from the Hellsing series.
• Alexander "Lex" Luthor, a supervillain in the DC Comics universe and archnemesis of Superman, as well as Alexander Luthor, his heroic Earth-Three counterpart, and the latter's son, Alexander Luthor, Jr.

See also

• Hera Alexandros, an epithet of the Greek goddess Hera

References