ALSANDAR

Rev Patrick Woulfe
1923

ALSANDAR, genitive -air, Alexander, Alex, Alick; Greek Αλέξανδρος (Aléxandros), defending men; perhaps the most widespread as well as the most famous of all personal names. The conquests of Alexander the Great caused it to become widely diffused among eastern nations, while the large number of saints and martyrs of the name in the early Church — the Roman Martyrology mentions no fewer than thirty-nine — popularised it all over Europe. It was introduced into Scotland by Queen Margaret, where it was borne by three of the Scottish kings and became a national name. It was also very common among the early Anglo-Norman settlers in Ireland. The ordinary Gaelic form of the name in Ireland and Scotland was Alastar or Alastrom, which see. Latin — Alexander, -dri.

Alphabetical Index to Names of Men (Irish-English)

Explanatory Note

English-Irish Index

Note: The old Irish letters used in the original text* have been converted to the Roman alphabet for this online version, and the lenited (or dotted) consonants changed to their aspirated equivalents, i.e. the dotted 'c' has been altered to 'ch', the dotted 'g' to 'gh', and the dotted 'm' to 'mh', etc. For example, in the name Caoimgin (Kevin), where the 'm' and 'g' are both dotted (ṁ, ġ) in the old Irish lettering, the name has been converted here to the modern Irish equivalent of Caoimhghin.

* Sloinnte Gaedheal is Gall: Irish Names and Surnames by Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923.

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