boy's name
Alexandre
a-lek-SAHNDR
- Origin French
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 4
- Letters 9
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 338,900
France
#87
2025 births
Alexandre is a boy's name of Greek origin meaning "defender of mankind," the French form of Alexander. It ranks eighty-seventh in France and is falling from a peak in 2003, having been one of the standard French names for a century.
- Alexandre is a name of French origin.
- Peaked in France in 1995, when 9,010 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade in France.
- Today about 1 in 842 babies in France is given this name.
- First appears in birth records in 1900.
- 4 syllables, with the stress on syllable 3.
Alexandre over time
Births per decade in France, 1900s 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 |
|---|---|
| 1900s | 10,680 |
| 1910s | 8,070 |
| 1920s | 7,840 |
| 1930s | 4,800 |
| 1940s | 2,610 |
| 1950s | 2,535 |
| 1960s | 6,445 |
| 1970s | 38,535 |
| 1980s | 74,060 |
| 1990s | 84,325 |
| 2000s | 43,215 |
| 2010s | 18,075 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 5,035 |
What Alexandre means
Alexandre means defender of mankind. It joins the Greek alexein, to defend or ward off, with aner, a man, so the sense is protection of people rather than conquest, despite its most famous bearer.
Where Alexandre comes from
Alexandre is the French form of the Greek Alexandros, from alexein, to defend, and aner, man. The name predates Alexander the Great by centuries and appears in Homer as an alternative name for Paris of Troy. Alexander's conquests carried it across the ancient world, and it survives in every European language and in Arabic as Iskandar. Its diminutives are unusually numerous — Sacha through Russian, Sandy through Scots, Alex and Xander in English, Lex in Dutch — which is a reliable sign of a name that has been common for a very long time in many places.
Alexandre in use
Alexandre ranks eighty-seventh in France with about 700 births in 2025 and our records show a peak in 2003, so it is past its high point. With more than 312,000 births on record it is one of the larger names in our French data. Its short form Sacha now sits considerably higher in France at 12th, which is a common pattern: the diminutive outlasting the full name in fashion.
How popular is Alexandre?
In 2025, Alexandre was given to 700 babies in France, ranking #87 that year. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Alexandre is used
French counts are rounded to the nearest five and nothing below five is published, so these figures show the shape of the name's use rather than an exact tally. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Alexandre
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Alexandre also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Alexandre over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
8 nicknames for Alexandre
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.
Alexandre 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
- Aleksandar
- Croatian
- Aleksandar
- Danish
- Alexander
- Estonian
- Aleksandr
- German
- Alexander
- Icelandic
- Alexander
- Italian
- Alessandro
- Latin
- Alexander
- Latvian
- Aleksandrs
- Lithuanian
- Aleksandras
- Macedonian
- Aleksandar
- Norwegian
- Alexander
- Polish
- Aleks
- Romanian
- Alexandru
- Russian
- Aleksandr
- Serbian
- Aleksandar
- Serbo-Croatian
- Aleksandar
- Slovak
- Alexander
- Slovene
- Aleksandar Aleks
- Spanish
- Alejandro
- Swedish
- Alexander
- Ukrainian
- Oleksandr
Sibling names for Alexandre
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Alexandre — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Alexandre
What does the name Alexandre mean?
Alexandre means "defender of mankind," from the Greek alexein and aner.
Is Alexandre the French form of Alexander?
Yes, and it is pronounced quite differently, ending in a consonant cluster.
Is the name older than Alexander the Great?
Yes. It appears in Homer as an alternative name for Paris of Troy.
Why does Alexandre have so many nicknames?
Sacha, Sandy, Alex, Xander and Lex all come from it — a reliable sign of a name common for a very long time.
How popular is the name Alexandre?
In 2025, Alexandre was given to 700 babies in France, ranking #87 that year. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Is Alexandre a girl's or a boy's name?
Alexandre is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Alexandre?
Alexandre has 4 syllables.
When was Alexandre most popular?
Alexandre peaked in 1995, when 9,010 babies were given the name. It has been falling over the past decade.
Is Alexandre a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Alexandre currently ranks #87 in France. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.