The Name Aleksandr
Aleksandr is a male name of Greek origin meaning “defender of people”. Below are the forms of the name, name days in the Orthodox calendar, character by tradition, numerology, the first letter, talismans and compatibility with other names.
Origin and meaning
Aleksandr is a male name of Greek origin. Meaning: “defender of people”. From the Greek Ἀλέξανδρος: ἀλέξω, “to defend, to ward off”, and ἀνήρ (genitive ἀνδρός), “man”. It spread widely thanks to Alexander the Great, and in Rus’ thanks to the holy prince Alexander Nevsky.
Forms of the name
| Full form | Aleksandr |
| Short forms | Sasha, Sanya, Shura, Aleks |
| Affectionate forms | Sashenka, Sanechka, Shurik, Sashulya |
Name days (angel’s day)
| September 12 | translation of the relics of Holy Prince Alexander Nevsky |
| December 6 | Holy Right-Believing Prince Alexander Nevsky |
A name day is the feast of the saint after whom a person was baptised. If several saints share the name, custom is to celebrate the first feast after the birthday. Shown here are the main feasts in the calendar of the Russian Orthodox Church, with civil (Gregorian) dates.
Character by tradition
By tradition, Aleksandr is a man of duty and direct action: he takes responsibility where others wait. He needs to be first and right, so he is persistent, ambitious and bristles at being ordered around. His strong side is the ability to protect his own and keep his word; his weak side is a quick temper and resentment at being underrated. In maturity he comes into his own as a reliable leader and the mainstay of his family.
Name numerology
Letters of the name Aleksandr («Александр») in the Russian 1–9 table: А 1 + Л 4 + Е 6 + К 3 + С 1 + А 1 + Н 6 + Д 5 + Р 9 = 36 → 9. The sum is reduced to one digit; the master numbers 11, 22 and 33 are kept.
Name number 9 — service and breadth. Nine is the number of completion: compassion, a broad view, readiness to help. Such a name wants to be useful to many; the weak spot is giving oneself away.
Vowels give the soul number 8 (power and achievement), consonants the personality number 1 (will and leadership). Inner motive: power and achievement; outer manner: will and leadership. Such a gap is not bad in itself: others see one side, close people know the other.
In Slavic Cyrillic numerals (using the modern spelling of the name): А=1 + Л=30 + Е=5 + К=20 + С=200 + А=1 + Н=50 + Д=4 + Р=100 = 411, reduced to 6. Letters that had no numeric value are skipped. This is an additional digit, not a second name number: meanings for the Cyrillic numerals were added in the 20th century, modeled on Western numerology.
More: name number with surname, Slavic Cyrillic numerals, number meanings.
First letter and letters of the name
In letter reading — a popular tradition of interpreting letters — the first letter of the name matters most: it sets the main tone of character. The other letters add shades.
А — beginning and action. A wish to start, to be first and to act; a need for physical and emotional comfort.
Other letters: Л — sense of beauty; Е — self-expression; К — endurance and strength of spirit; С — common sense; Н — strong character and protest; Д — prudence and family; Р — confidence and courage.
Talismans of the name
Name books usually derive talismans from the name number and its planet; lists differ between authors. Here we follow Cheiro (“Book of Numbers”): number 9 is linked with the planet Mars.
| Planet | Mars |
| Stones | ruby, garnet, bloodstone |
| Colours | red, crimson, pink |
| Favourable days | Tuesday |
Compatibility with other names
In numerology, compatibility of names is judged by their numbers. Number 9 goes most easily with 3 and 6, and has more friction with 4 and 8.
Goes well with: Antonina, Valentina, Valeriya, Darya, Elizaveta, Zinaida, Karina, Rimma, Svetlana, Tatyana.
More friction with: Alina, Alisa, Vasilisa, Zoya, Larisa, Yana.
Check a couple precisely: compatibility by name.
Outcome
The name Aleksandr carries the meaning “defender of people”. Name number 9 — service and breadth; first letter A — beginning and action. Inner wishes (power and achievement) and outer manner (will and leadership) differ: a person with this name needs close people to see more than what is shown. Name days: September 12, December 6.