Saunders surname meaning

Saunders is an English and Welsh patronymic from Saunder, a medieval form of Alexander, with -s marking descent or family association. Alexander ultimately comes from Greek and is traditionally glossed with the idea of defending or helping people, but that meaning belongs to the personal name rather than to every Saunders family. Sander, Sanders, Saunder, and Alexander show related documentary forms shaped by local spelling. Independent families could acquire the surname wherever Saunder was used. Parent’s name is the high-confidence catalog type because the personal-name base and patronymic structure are direct.