Alexander Surname Meaning and Origin

Alexander Surname Meaning and Origin The Alexander surname means repulser of the enemy or defender of men. It derives from the personal name Alexander, derived from the Greek AÃŽ »ÃŽ µÃŽ ¾ÃŽ ±vÃŽ ´poÏ‚ (Alexandros),  made up of alexin, meaning to defend and andros, meaning man. Although derived from a personal name of  Greek origin, the Alexander surname is most commonly found in Scotland as an Anglicized form of the Gaelic name MacAlasdair.  MACALLISTER is a common derivation. Alexander is the  104th most popular surname in Scotland, just dropping out of the top 100 during the past decade.   Surname Origin:  Scottish, English, Dutch, German Alternate Surname Spellings:  ALEXANDRE, ALESANDER, ALESANDRE, ALAXANDAIR, ALASDAIR, ALEXANDAR, ALEKSANDER, MACALEXANDER Where in the World is the ALEXANDER Surname Found? Perhaps surprising, but the Alexander surname is found in the greatest frequency in the Caribbean island nation of Grenada, where one in 52 people bears the surname. According to Forebears, it also ranks among the top 20 surnames in several other Caribbean countries, including St. Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago, Dominica, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Alexander is also popular in Scotland and the United States; it ranks just out of the top 100 surnames in both countries. WorldNames PublicProfiler  highlights Alexander as an especially popular surname in Australia and New Zealand, followed by the United States and Great Britain. Within Scotland, Alexander is found most frequently in South Ayrshire.   Famous People with the Last Name ALEXANDER Harold Alexander -  British commander who fought in both World WarsNathaniel Alexander - inventor of the folding chairJason Alexander - American film, theater and television actor, most well known for his role as George in Seinfeld.Archibald Alexander - Protestant clergyman and educator Genealogy Resources for the Surname ALEXANDER Clan Alexander and North AmericaA history of Clan Alexander and its ties to North America by Lord Stirling, the current clan chief. Alexander Surname Y-DNA ProjectOver 340 members belong to this Y-DNA surname project at FamilyTreeDNA, organized to connect individuals with the Alexander surname interested in DNA testing. Alexander Family Genealogy ForumSearch this popular genealogy forum for the Alexander surname to find others who might be researching your ancestors, or post your own Alexander query. FamilySearch - ALEXANDER GenealogyExplore over 3.5 million historical records and lineage-linked family trees posted for the Alexander surname and its variations on the free FamilySearch website. ALEXANDER Surname Family Mailing ListsRootsWeb hosts several free mailing lists for researchers of the Alexander surname. DistantCousin.com - ALEXANDER Genealogy Family HistoryFree databases and genealogy links for the last name Alexander. The Alexander Genealogy and Family Tree PageBrowse genealogy records and links to genealogical and historical records for individuals with the popular last name Alexander from the website of Genealogy Today. Looking for the meaning of a given name? Check out First Name Meanings Cant find your last name listed? Suggest a surname to be added to the Glossary of Surname Meanings Origins. - References: Surname Meanings Origins Cottle, Basil. Penguin Dictionary of Surnames. Baltimore, MD: Penguin Books, 1967. Menk, Lars. A Dictionary of German Jewish Surnames. Avotaynu, 2005. Beider, Alexander. A Dictionary of Jewish Surnames from Galicia. Avotaynu, 2004. Hanks, Patrick and Flavia Hodges. A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1989. Hanks, Patrick. Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press, 2003. Smith, Elsdon C. American Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 1997. Back to Glossary of Surname Meanings Origins