Alexander Family Tree research resources

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"ALEXANDER. From Greek AXd defender of man. Miss Yonge has pointed out in her History of Christian names that nowhere is the name Alexander so thoroughly national as in Scotland, into which country it was introduced by Queen Margaret, wife of King Malcolm Ceannmor, from the Hungarian Court, where she was brought up. "Her third son was the first of the three Alexanders, under whom the country spent her most prosperous days. The death of the last was a signal tor the long death-feud between the northern and southern kingdoms, and all the consequent miseries" (i, p. 200, 201). So popular indeed became the name in Scotland that Alexander in its diminutive form "Sandy" is even more the national name than "Donald." As a surname Alexander is very common on the west coast, where, according to the authors of Clan Donald, some of the descendants of Godfrey, second son of Alastair Mor, appear to have settled in the Carrick district of Ayrshire, and several territorial families of Macalexander from this stock were prominent in that region, e.g. the MacAIexanders of Daltupene, Dalreoch, Corsclays, etc. About the end of the seventeenth century they dropped the 'Mac' (Clan Donald, m, p. 199). The Alexanders of Menstrie claimed to be connected with the Ckn Donald and to be closely allied in blood with the Macallisters of Loup. Gilbert, son of Donald, son of Alastair Mor, got a grant of lands in Stirlingshire in 1330. There is no further trace of this family until the beginning of the sixteenth century, when they are found settled in Clackmannanshire (ibid., ra, p. 189). William Alexander was connected with the accounts of the city of Edinburgh in 1435 (ER., rv, p. 663), Robert Alexander was a granger in Feichly and Drummelochy in Strathdon in 1438 (ER., v, p. 56), and the name is of frequent occurrence in the Moray rentals in the first half of the sixteenth century (Sc. Peer., vm, p. 165). The name was early adopted into Gaelic, appearing as Alaxandair in the Gaelic genealogical manuscript of 1467 (now spelled Alasdair), and as a patronymic it appears as M'Alasdair, whence the well-known Macalister, Macallister, etc. Aleckander 1501, Alisandre 1424, Alisschonder 1536, Alschinder 1546, Alschoner 1613, Alschunder 1581, Alshander 1581, Alshunder 1597, Alsinder 1539. The name is said to occur in Hittite as Alaksandu. See also ELSHENER. "_{(The surnames of Scotland. George Fraser Black, 1866-1948)}

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Did you know that there are currently 258251 people with the Alexander surname in the USA? Alexander is ranked number 74 for popularity in the USA.