The meaning of Alessandro

My hubby and I decided upon this name: Well, we don't remember when or where the name came about, but we both instantly fell in love and it stuck! We wanted an Italian name to follow along with my Italian routes! And we chose the name long before we even thought about conceiving! (-:

Origin: Italian
Meaning: Defending men
Pronunciation: (ah lehs SAHN dro)  
Additional info: Italian form of Alexander.
Alessandro de' Medici was the first de' Medici to be the Duke of Florence, and was the grandson of Lorenzo the Magnificent. He was assassinated by his cousin Lorenzino de' Medici.
Other bearers include Italian footballer Alessandro Del Piero, businessman Alessandro Martini - who gave his surname to the Martini beverage, composer Alessandro Scarlatti and physicist Alessandro Volta, after whom the 'volt' was named.
Nicknames: Andy, Ale, Alex, Sandro