# Alexander the Great ... name or title?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alexander-the-great-name-or-title/356555>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [May 12, 2006, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alexander-the-great-name-or-title/356555 "2006-05-12T19:13:53Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![toadspittle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\
**Post date:** [May 12, 2006, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alexander-the-great-name-or-title/356555/1 "2006-05-12T19:13:53Z")

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(“Alexander,” that is, not “The Great.”)

I just received a baby-names list from a family member, and Alexander was on it. It said,

> [@](#):
>
> Its source is Alexandros, a Greek name meaning “Protector of men.”

… which sounds much more like a title than a name (and esp. one that could be applied to a military dictator). So, was “Alexandros” a name in use before Alexander the Great was born? And if not, was Alexander given that name at birth by his hopeful father, or was it bestowed later as a title? And if so to THAT, then what was his given name?

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**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\
**Post date:** [May 12, 2006, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alexander-the-great-name-or-title/356555/2 "2006-05-12T19:33:11Z")

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Alexandros was a name in use before Alexander the Great was born. In fact, Alexander was named after his uncle, Alexander, king of Molossis, and Alexander the Great was really Alexander III of Macedon, so there were two previous Macedonian kings named Alexander.

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**Author:** ![Szlater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/90ced4/32.png) [@Szlater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Szlater)\
**Post date:** [May 12, 2006, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alexander-the-great-name-or-title/356555/3 "2006-05-12T19:33:38Z")

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> [@toadspittle](#):
>
> (“Alexander,” that is, not “The Great.”)
> 
> I just received a baby-names list from a family member, and Alexander was on it. It said,
> 
> … which sounds much more like a title than a name (and esp. one that could be applied to a military dictator). So, was “Alexandros” a name in use before Alexander the Great was born? And if not, was Alexander given that name at birth by his hopeful father, or was it bestowed later as a title? And if so to THAT, then what was his given name?

Considering Alexander the Great was “Alexander III of Macedon”, I would say so.

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**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Panic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/don_t_panic/32/398_2.png) [@Don\_t\_Panic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Panic)\
**Post date:** [May 12, 2006, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alexander-the-great-name-or-title/356555/4 "2006-05-12T19:50:58Z")

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Another famous Alexander / Alexandros was of course our old pal [Paris Alexandros](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris_%28mythology%29) , the wimpy womanizer of the Trojan war, known for his unfortunate affair with that Helen chick.

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**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\
**Post date:** [May 12, 2006, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alexander-the-great-name-or-title/356555/5 "2006-05-12T20:34:59Z")

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Note that many names _derived_ from some expression. All your classic Biblical patriarch and prophet names have a meaning. So “John” meant “God is merciful” or some such way back when.

BTW: a form of “Alexander” appears on Mycenaean Linear B tablets, so it is one of the oldest attested written European names.

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**Author:** ![toadspittle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\
**Post date:** [May 15, 2006, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alexander-the-great-name-or-title/356555/6 "2006-05-15T17:42:15Z")

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Belated thanks, all–didn’t mean to seem like an ingrate, I’ve just been away.