Fun Facts About the Name Alexandru
- 609 babies named Alexandru: U.S. records list 609 babies given the name Alexandru from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Alexandru Mean?
Alexandru is the Romanian form of Alexander, a name of Greek origin. It goes back to the Greek Alexandros, a compound of alexein, "to ward off, defend, protect," and anēr (genitive andros), "man." The literal sense is "defending men"; the customary translation is "defender of men."
Not every detail of that derivation is settled. Some scholars argue that the first element is not the Greek verb alexein at all but an older, non-Greek root. Their main evidence is a ruler called Alaksandu of Wilusa, named in Hittite documents from roughly the 14th - 13th centuries BC, in a region often linked with Troy. If that name is related, the Greek form may have been adapted from an Anatolian original rather than coined fresh. What remains uncertain is whether the Greek compound was created independently or borrowed and reshaped from an earlier name.
Alexandru Name History & Origins
The name passed from Greek into Latin as Alexander and then into the languages of Christian Europe. It was already used by Macedonian kings before Alexander the Great, and it spread further through the Byzantine world, the New Testament (an Alexander is mentioned in Acts and the letters of Paul), and the cults of saints and popes named Alexander.
Romanian received the name through Byzantine Greek and Church Slavonic, which is why it appears as Alexandru with the typical Romanian masculine ending -u. Until the 1860s Romanian was written in Cyrillic, so older documents record the name in Cyrillic letters rather than the Latin spelling used today.
Alexandru became a common name among Romanian rulers. Alexandru cel Bun (Alexander the Good) ruled Moldavia from 1400 to 1432 and is remembered for his church foundations and his chancery. Alexandru Lăpușneanu ruled Moldavia in the 16th century and founded a well-known monastery. In the 19th century, Alexandru Ioan Cuza was elected prince of both Moldavia and Wallachia in 1859, an event that led to the union of the two principalities and the creation of modern Romania.
The feminine form is Alexandra. Romanian also uses the short forms Alex and Sandu, along with the feminine Sanda, which comes from the same root.
How Popular is the Name Alexandru?
Alexandru has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2006. Its best rank was #3,155 in 2006.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #8,279 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2024 | #12,386 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2023 | #8,951 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2022 | #9,011 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2021 | #6,710 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2020 | #6,306 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 2019 | #5,344 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 2018 | #4,611 | 21 | 0.0012% |
| 2017 | #4,597 | 21 | 0.0011% |
| 2016 | #4,781 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 2015 | #3,987 | 26 | 0.0014% |
| 2014 | #3,302 | 33 | 0.0017% |
| 2013 | #4,469 | 21 | 0.0011% |
| 2012 | #3,900 | 26 | 0.0014% |
| 2011 | #3,697 | 28 | 0.0015% |
| 2010 | #5,052 | 18 | 0.0009% |
| 2009 | #3,401 | 32 | 0.0016% |
| 2008 | #4,721 | 20 | 0.0010% |
| 2007 | #3,314 | 33 | 0.0016% |
| 2006 | #3,155 | 34 | 0.0017% |
| 2005 | #4,063 | 22 | 0.0011% |
| 2004 | #3,537 | 26 | 0.0013% |
| 2003 | #4,119 | 20 | 0.0010% |
| 2002 | #4,325 | 18 | 0.0009% |
| 2001 | #3,723 | 22 | 0.0011% |
| 2000 | #4,581 | 16 | 0.0008% |
| 1999 | #5,048 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1998 | #4,022 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 1997 | #5,654 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1996 | #9,051 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1995 | #8,910 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1993 | #6,838 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1992 | #6,142 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1991 | #8,260 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1989 | #7,944 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1981 | #6,293 | 5 | 0.0003% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Alexandru Shapes Your Personality and Life?
Powerful and complete. You are good intellectually and require several outlets for your energies. You are not a builder but a planner, and you want others to carry out your plans. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
You are always looking for a chance to do your own thing, to be your own person, and to have things done your own way.
✦ Alexandru's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Alexandru's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.