Alexandru is a masculine given name, the Romanian form of the English name Alexander, derived from the Latin Alexander and the Ancient Greek Aléxandros (ÃÂûÃÂþñýôÃÂÿÃÂ), meaning "defender of mankind". Alexandru is a relatively popular name in Romania and Moldova, deeply rooted in cultural tradition and even reflected in place names such as AlexÃÂndreni.
The name Alexandru also gives rise to patronymic surnames, such as Alexandrescu.
Etymologically, the name is derived from the Greek "ÃÂûÃÂþñýôÃÂÿÃÂ" (Aléxandros), meaning "defending men" or "protector of men", a compound of the verb "á¼ÂûÃÂþÃÂ" (alexà Â), "to ward off, to avert, to defend" and the noun "á¼ÂýôÃÂÃÂÃÂ" (andros), genitive of "á¼ÂýîÃÂ" (anÃÂr), "man". 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.
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. The name's popularity was spread throughout the Greek world by the military conquests of King Alexander III, commonly known as "Alexander the Great".
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