Friday, April 13, 2012

Happy Name Day, Aleš! Všechno nejlepší k svátku!

Today we honor Aleš.  Happy name day, Aleš!
The name Aleš is of Greek origin and means "man's defender, warrior".  It's the short form of Alexander and often used independently as Alexander has become more and more popular.  It's one of the few names used with equal frequency for both genders.  

The most famous bearer of the name was Alexander the Great, King of Macedon.  In the 4th century BC, he built a huge empire out of Greece, Egypt, Persia and parts of India.  Due to his fame, and later medieval tales involving him, use of his name spread throughout Europe.