girl's name
Alexandra
al-ig-ZAN-druh
- Origin Greek
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 4
- Letters 9
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 392,964
the United States
#238
2025 births
Alexandra is a girl's name of Greek origin meaning "defender of men," and it appears as a title of the goddess Hera before it was ever a personal name. It ranks 144th in Ireland and 238th in the United States.
- Alexandra is a name of Greek origin.
- Peaked in 1993, when 10,720 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 2,523 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1894.
- 4 syllables, with the stress on syllable 3.
Alexandra over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1890s 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 |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 13 |
| 1900s | 58 |
| 1910s | 327 |
| 1920s | 375 |
| 1930s | 444 |
| 1940s | 1,169 |
| 1950s | 1,598 |
| 1960s | 3,252 |
| 1970s | 7,027 |
| 1980s | 35,118 |
| 1990s | 95,101 |
| 2000s | 61,417 |
| 2010s | 30,990 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 9,431 |
What Alexandra means
Alexandra means defender of men, from alexein, to ward off or defend, and andros, of man. The sense is protection of people rather than of a place, which is why it worked as a divine epithet before it was a name.
Where Alexandra comes from
Alexandra is the feminine of Alexander, from the Greek alexein, to defend, and andros, of man. It is attested in Mycenaean Greek and appears in Greek religion as a title of Hera at Sicyon — the defender — which puts it in use as an epithet before it was common as a personal name. Cassandra is called Alexandra in some sources, which is why Lycophron's obscure poem about her is titled that. The name's European standing rests on royalty: Alexandra of Denmark married Edward VII and was Queen from 1901, and the last Russian Empress was Alexandra Feodorovna, born Alix of Hesse, whose reliance on Rasputin is a fixture of every account of the Romanovs' fall. Alessandra, Alejandra and Aleksandra are the same name across Europe.
Alexandra in use
Alexandra ranks 144th in Ireland with 32 births in 2025 and 238th in the United States with 1,314 births, its largest market. It is falling in our data from a peak in 1993, and our records carry it from 1894. It appears in every market we hold — 231st in England and Wales, 181st in Scotland, 546th in France — one of relatively few names with genuine seven-market presence.
How popular is Alexandra?
In 2025, Alexandra was given to 1,314 babies in the United States, ranking #238 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Alexandra 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 Alexandra
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Alexandra also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Alexandra over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
8 nicknames for Alexandra
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.
Alexandra 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.
- Bulgarian
- Aleksandra
- Greek
- Alexandrea
- Italian
- Alessandra
- Latvian
- Aleksandra Sanda
- Polish
- Aleksandra
- Russian
- Aleksandra
- Serbian
- Aleksandra
- Serbo-Croatian
- Aleksandra
- Slovene
- Aleksandra
- Swedish
- Sasha
- Other forms
- Forms we hold no single language for — some are used across several, some are simply spelled differently.
- Alexandria Lexi
Sibling names for Alexandra
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Alexandra — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Alexandra
What does the name Alexandra mean?
Alexandra means "defender of men," from the Greek alexein, to defend, and andros, of man.
Is Alexandra older than Alexander?
Both are ancient. Alexandra is attested in Mycenaean Greek and was used as a title of Hera before it was a common personal name.
Is Sasha related to Alexandra?
Yes — Sasha is the Russian familiar form of both Alexandra and Alexander.
How popular is Alexandra?
144th in Ireland and 238th in the United States.
Is Alexandra a girl's or a boy's name?
Alexandra is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Alexandra?
Alexandra has 4 syllables.
What are the nicknames for Alexandra?
Alexandra is usually shortened to Alex, Sasha, Alexa, Sandy, Lexi and Andra.
Is Alexandra a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Alexandra currently ranks #144 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.