Lady Gaga has a somewhat scandalous and controversial song out called Alejandro released to radio on April 20, 2010. That being said, Alejandro is the Spanish form of Alexander which etymologically, is derived from the Greek "Αλέξ±νδρος” (Aléxandros). This means "defending men” or "protector of men”. A compound of the verb "ἀλέξω” (alexō). This means "to ward off, to avert, or to defend”. And the noun "ἀνδρός” (andros), genitive of "ἀνήρ” (an-r) that mean "man”. This shows a good example of the widespread trend of Greek or Indo-European names expressing "battle-prowess”, here the ability to push back or withstand an enemy battle line.
Census data from 1990 tells us that Alejandro is a very popular first name for men (#305 out of 1220) and a fairly popular last name for people (#5759 out of 88799). Many people named their children for traits they would like them to have or that they ‘see in their eyes’ at birth. Alexander and Alejandro, one being derived from the other are both names that proud parents would hope their children possess in life. Younger generations seem to care less about the names origins and more in how it will affect their child socially when choosing a name so it may just be a pleasant surprise if it’s a good origin.
While meanings of first names are important to most parents, little gives any thought to their surname. Alejandro or Alexander mean the same as surnames and does hold a greater weight with the older generations. Surnames started as a means of classifying your title or the trades of your lineage. For instance, Cooper would indicate a cooper smith or barrel maker. Celebrities change both first and last name as desired to suit their careers and the images they want to portray. Will this become a trend in society soon?
Census data from 1990 tells us that Alejandro is a very popular first name for men (#305 out of 1220) and a fairly popular last name for people (#5759 out of 88799). Many people named their children for traits they would like them to have or that they ‘see in their eyes’ at birth. Alexander and Alejandro, one being derived from the other are both names that proud parents would hope their children possess in life. Younger generations seem to care less about the names origins and more in how it will affect their child socially when choosing a name so it may just be a pleasant surprise if it’s a good origin.
While meanings of first names are important to most parents, little gives any thought to their surname. Alejandro or Alexander mean the same as surnames and does hold a greater weight with the older generations. Surnames started as a means of classifying your title or the trades of your lineage. For instance, Cooper would indicate a cooper smith or barrel maker. Celebrities change both first and last name as desired to suit their careers and the images they want to portray. Will this become a trend in society soon?
