boy's name
Alexander
al-ig-ZAN-der
- Origin Greek
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 4
- Letters 9
- Popularity Top 100 (US)
- Births on record 900,137
the United States
#30
2025 births
Alexander is a boy's name of Greek origin meaning "defender of men," from alexein, to defend, and aner, man. Alexander the Great carried it across the ancient world in the fourth century BC, which is why forms of it exist from Scotland to India.
- Alexander is a name of Greek origin.
- Peaked in 1993, when 20,708 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 458 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 4 syllables, with the stress on syllable 3.
Alexander over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 2,081 |
| 1890s | 1,954 |
| 1900s | 2,235 |
| 1910s | 11,403 |
| 1920s | 12,591 |
| 1930s | 7,125 |
| 1940s | 9,495 |
| 1950s | 12,232 |
| 1960s | 14,279 |
| 1970s | 25,220 |
| 1980s | 83,538 |
| 1990s | 185,413 |
| 2000s | 179,447 |
| 2010s | 142,434 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 51,221 |
What Alexander means
Alexander means defender or protector of men, a transparent compound of two Greek words. It is a martial name in the most literal sense: the first element is a verb meaning to ward off or defend, the second the ordinary word for a man.
Where Alexander comes from
Alexander comes from the Greek Alexandros, from alexein, to defend or ward off, and andros, the genitive of aner, man. The name appears in Homer as an alternative name for the Trojan prince Paris. Its global spread is owed almost entirely to Alexander III of Macedon, whose campaigns between 336 and 323 BC reached Egypt and the Indus, seeding the name across three continents and leaving cities named Alexandria behind him. It entered Scotland through medieval royal marriages and became so established there that Sandy developed as a distinctly Scottish short form. Nearly every European language holds a version: Alessandro, Alejandro, Aleksandr, Sándor.
Alexander in use
Few names owe their worldwide distribution so directly to the campaigns of one individual.
How popular is Alexander?
In 2025, Alexander was given to 7,244 babies in the United States, ranking #30 that year. It is one of the most popular names in the United States.
Where Alexander is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Alexander
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Alexander also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Alexander over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
12 nicknames for Alexander
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Alexander in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
- Asturian
- Alexandre
- Bulgarian
- Aleksandar
- Catalan
- Alexandre
- Croatian
- Aleksandar
- Czech
- Alexandr
- Estonian
- Aleksandr
- French
- Alexandre
- Galician
- Alexandre
- Italian
- Alessandro
- Latvian
- Aleksandrs
- Lithuanian
- Aleksandras
- Macedonian
- Aleksandar
- Polish
- Aleks
- Portuguese
- Alexandre
- Romanian
- Alexandru
- Russian
- Aleksandr
- Serbian
- Aleksandar
- Serbo-Croatian
- Aleksandar
- Slovene
- Aleksandar Aleks
- Spanish
- Alejandro
- Ukrainian
- Oleksandr
Sibling names for Alexander
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Alexander — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Alexander
What does the name Alexander mean?
Alexander means "defender of men," from the Greek alexein (to defend) and aner (man).
Is Alexander named after Alexander the Great?
The name predates him, but his conquests spread it across Europe, Africa, and Asia.
What are nicknames for Alexander?
Alex, Xander, and the Scottish Sandy are all established short forms.
How popular is the name Alexander?
In 2025, Alexander was given to 7,244 babies in the United States, ranking #30 that year. It is one of the most popular names in the United States.
Is Alexander a girl's or a boy's name?
Alexander is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Alexander?
Alexander has 4 syllables.
When was Alexander most popular?
Alexander peaked in 1993, when 20,708 babies were given the name. It has been falling over the past decade.
Is Alexander a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Alexander currently ranks #13 in the United States. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.