Alexander
Boy
From Alexandros to Alexander. Alexander is the Latinized form of the Greek name Alexandros.
Defender of men. Its Greek parts bring together “defend” or “protect” and the word for “man”, giving the sense “defender of men”.
Boy names
Explore boy names through their meanings and histories. Keep the ones you want to revisit in your Shortlist.
Researched from sources, checked in a separate review, with uncertainty stated plainly.
Alexander to Arthur.
Ali
Boy
A name with a place in Islamic history. Ali has a close historical connection to Muhammad’s family: Ali ibn Abi Talib was his cousin and son-in-law, and an early Muslim caliph. That association may matter alongside the sound of the name.
Lofty or exalted. In Arabic, Ali (عليّ) means “lofty” or “exalted”. It comes from a root meaning “to be high”.
This meaning belongs to the Arabic masculine name عليّ; other names spelled Ali have separate histories.
Arthur
Boy
A place in the Arthurian stories. Arthur carries a connection with the legendary King Arthur and the medieval stories told around him.
Is Arthur a bear name?. Celtic bear roots are one proposed explanation; the Roman family name Artorius is another. You can enjoy the bear connection while keeping that uncertainty in mind.
These are proposed derivations, not settled translations.
A glimpse of Arthur in 1534. Arthur appears in a Coventry record from 1534. If you like a name with a long English history, that is a small glimpse of it in use.