Etymology & Historical Origin of the Baby Name Alexandria

Alexandria (a variant of the female Alexandra) is a name influenced by the city in Egypt which was founded by Alexander the Great in 322 B.C. and named in his honor. Alexander is the Latin form of the Greek name “Alexandros”. The name’s meaning is interpreted from the Greek “alexein” which means “to defend” plus “andros” which translates to “man, warrior” in a relationship or possessive form. Hence the meaning: ‘defender of men or mankind’. Alexander the Great was King of Macedon in the 4th century B.C.; you’d be hard pressed to find a warrior more legendary than this man. Alexander the Great founded the city of Alexandria with the intention of making a great Hellenistic center of the world and a link between Greece and the rich Nile Valley. After laying its foundation as Egypt’s main Greek city, Alexander would leave Alexandria never to return again (for more information on Alexander the Great, see historical figures below). In ancient times, the city of Alexandria was the greatest cultural center, rivaled only by Rome. As a given name, Alexandria developed as a place name mainly in the United States, with cities in Virginia, Minnesota and Louisiana as its namesake.

All About the Baby Name – Alexandria

Personality

OF THE GIRL NAME ALEXANDRIA

The number Eight personality has everything to do with power, wealth and abundance. Somehow, this personality has been blessed on the material plane, but their authoritative and problem-solving traits provide evidence that their good fortunes are not just the luck of the lottery. They are well earned. This is the personality of CEOs and high-ranking military personnel. Eights are intensely active, hard-driving individuals. Success is only meaningful to them after a job well-done.  They are remarkable in their ability to see the larger picture right down to the smallest details, and organize a strategy around success. They then have the ability to direct a group around them toward any goal, and realize individual potential to get the most out of their team.

Popularity

OF THE GIRL NAME ALEXANDRIA

Alexandria first appeared on the U.S. popularity charts in 1969. The name languished on the charts during the 1970s but saw some significant jumps in the 1980s. It’s not clear what might have influenced Alexandria’s success in that decade, but it ascended over 700 positions on the charts. The height of the name’s popularity came in the 1990s, during which time it landed a spot on the Top 100 list of most commonly used girl names. As we’ve entered the 21st century, the name has been losing steam and fell off the Top 200 list only recently. Alexandria is a rare example of a five-syllable name, and as such, it’s quite breathtaking. Americans are given to naming their children after places (think Savannah, Paris, Brooklyn) and Alexandria is one of the most ancient locations a parent can select for their child. Alex names are also quite popular (think Alexandra, Alexis, Alexa), but Alexandria takes the cake in terms of the most fanciful version of the Alexander the Great.

Quick Facts

ON ALEXANDRIA

GENDER:

Girl

ORIGIN:

Greek

NUMBER OF SYLLABLES:

5

RANKING POPULARITY:

207

PRONUNCIATION:

al-ik-ZAN-dree-ah

SIMPLE MEANING:

Defender of mankind

Characteristics

OF ALEXANDRIA

Authoritative

Powerful

Tough

Tenacious

Wealthy

Problem-solver

Achiever

Cultural References to the Baby Name – Alexandria

Literary Characters

OF THE BABY NAME ALEXANDRIA

We cannot find any significant literary characters by the name of Alexandria

Childrens Books

ON THE BABY NAME ALEXANDRIA

We cannot find any childrens books with the first name Alexandria


Popular Songs

ON ALEXANDRIA

Alexandria As Our Lens
a song by Socratic

Famous People

NAMED ALEXANDRIA

We cannot find any celebrities or significantly famous people with the first name Alexandria.

Children of Famous People

NAMED ALEXANDRIA

Iman;

Historic Figures

WITH THE NAME ALEXANDRIA

Almost all living women named Catherine today can thank St. Catherine of Alexandria for their name. As her legend and cult grew in the Middle Ages, she gained quite a following (particularly among women who began naming their daughters after her in veneration). Often referred to as “Catherine of the Wheel”, St. Catherine was martyred in Alexandria, Egypt around 307 AD yet “herstory” was largely unknown until around the year 800 when her relics were purportedly discovered on Mt. Sinai (apparently her hair was still growing and healing oils were secreting from her body). Um, yah, kind of creepy, but such stories of saintly relics were hugely popular in medieval times and Catherine was a glowing example of the so-called Virgin Martyrs. Catherine of Alexandria was born a pagan princess at the end of the 3rd century in Alexandria, Egypt, but converted to Christianity before the age of 20. She was renowned for her beauty, intellect, education and articulation. She took her religious arguments to the Roman Emperor Maxentius in an effort to stop the cruel persecutions of Christians under his rule. In doing so, Catherine managed to convert almost all of those around him to Christianity, including his own wife. When Maxentius tried to thwart her by proposing marriage, she refused, declaring herself the wife of Christ to whom she consecrated her virginity. Incensed, the emperor ordered her death on the spiked wheel (a rather cruel method of execution during Antiquity). Legend has it that the wheel miraculously broke and freed Catherine as she prayed. So her executioners switched to Plan B instead: they beheaded her (the angels then swooped down and carried her off to Mt. Sinai). The name Catherine became a particular favorite among the French after Joan of Arc declared that St. Catherine of Alexandria was one of the saints who appeared to her in a dream instructing her on what she needed to do. St. Catherine is remembered among Catholics as a woman who would not abandon her true faith and stood bravely against the opposition despite the consequences. She is now the patron saint of philosophers and preachers, and her feast day is November 25.

Almost all living women with some form of the name Catherine today can thank St. Catherine of Alexandria for their moniker. As her legend and cult grew in the Middle Ages, she gained quite a following (particularly among women who began naming their daughters after her in veneration). Often referred to as “Catherine of the Wheel”, St. Catherine was martyred in Alexandria, Egypt around 307 AD yet “herstory” was largely unknown until around the year 800 when her relics were purportedly discovered on Mt. Sinai (apparently her hair was still growing and healing oils were secreting from her body). Um, yah, kind of creepy, but such stories of saintly relics were hugely popular in medieval times and Catherine was a glowing example of the so-called Virgin Martyrs (like Agnes, Barbara and Margaret, for example). Catherine of Alexandria was born a pagan princess at the end of the 3rd century in Alexandria, Egypt, but converted to Christianity before the age of 20. She was renowned for her beauty, intellect, education and articulation. She took her religious arguments to the Roman Emperor Maxentius in an effort to stop the cruel persecutions of Christians under his rule. In doing so, Catherine managed to convert almost all of those around him to Christianity, including his own wife. When Maxentius tried to thwart her by proposing marriage, she refused, declaring herself the wife of Christ to whom she consecrated her virginity. Incensed, the emperor ordered her death on the spiked wheel (a rather cruel method of execution during Antiquity). Legend has it that the wheel miraculously broke and freed Catherine as she prayed. So her executioners switched to Plan B instead: they beheaded her (legend has it that the angels swooped down and carried her off to Mt. Sinai). The name Catherine became a particular favorite among the French after Joan of Arc declared that St. Catherine of Alexandria was one of the saints who appeared to her in a dream instructing her on what she needed to do. St. Catherine is remembered among Catholics as a woman who would not abandon her true faith and stood bravely against the opposition despite the consequences. She is now the patron saint of philosophers and preachers, and her feast day is November 25.

St. Catherine was the saint martyred in Alexandria, Egypt around 307 AD. She was born a pagan, but converted to Christianity before the age of 20. She was condemned for her Christian belief and sentenced to death on the wheel. Legend has it that the wheel miraculously broke, so she was beheaded instead. She did not abandon her faith, her truth, and stood bravely against the opposition. She is now the patron saint of philosophers and preachers, and it is said that Joan of Arc saw her in a dream.

St. Catherine was the saint martyred in Alexandria, Egypt around 307 AD. She was born a pagan, but converted to Christianity before the age of 20. She was condemned for her Christian belief and sentenced to death on the wheel. Legend has it that the wheel miraculously broke, so she was beheaded instead. She did not abandon her faith, her truth, and stood bravely against the opposition. She is now the patron saint of philosophers and preachers, and it is said that Joan of Arc saw her in a dream.

Almost all living women named Catherine today can thank St. Catherine of Alexandria for their name. As her legend and cult grew in the Middle Ages, she gained quite a following (particularly among women who began naming their daughters after her in veneration). Often referred to as “Catherine of the Wheel”, St. Catherine was martyred in Alexandria, Egypt around 307 AD yet “herstory” was largely unknown until around the year 800 when her relics were purportedly discovered on Mt. Sinai (apparently her hair was still growing and healing oils were secreting from her body). Um, yah, kind of creepy, but such stories of saintly relics were hugely popular in medieval times and Catherine was a glowing example of the so-called Virgin Martyrs. Catherine of Alexandria was born a pagan princess at the end of the 3rd century in Alexandria, Egypt, but converted to Christianity before the age of 20. She was renowned for her beauty, intellect, education and articulation. She took her religious arguments to the Roman Emperor Maxentius in an effort to stop the cruel persecutions of Christians under his rule. In doing so, Catherine managed to convert almost all of those around him to Christianity, including his own wife. When Maxentius tried to thwart her by proposing marriage, she refused, declaring herself the wife of Christ to whom she consecrated her virginity. Incensed, the emperor ordered her death on the spiked wheel (a rather cruel method of execution during Antiquity). Legend has it that the wheel miraculously broke and freed Catherine as she prayed. So her executioners switched to Plan B instead: they beheaded her (the angels then swooped down and carried her off to Mt. Sinai). The name Catherine became a particular favorite among the French after Joan of Arc declared that St. Catherine of Alexandria was one of the saints who appeared to her in a dream instructing her on what she needed to do. St. Catherine is remembered among Catholics as a woman who would not abandon her true faith and stood bravely against the opposition despite the consequences. She is now the patron saint of philosophers and preachers, and her feast day is November 25.