Alexander
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Meaning
defender of men, from Greek Alexandros, combining words for "defend, help" and "man"
Goes by Al, Alec, Alex, Lex. See all nicknames
The story
Alexander comes from Greek Alexandros through its Latin form. Its parts mean "defend" or "help" and "man", traditionally rendered "defender of men". The name also belonged to Paris in Greek mythology, giving it an ancient history beyond Alexander of Macedon.
The Macedonian king ruled from 336 to 323 BCE. His armies conquered the Persian empire and reached into India. The expansion involved severe violence: Thebes was destroyed, and its inhabitants were killed or sold into slavery.
His fame helped spread the name in Europe, as did the stories later told about him. The Alexander Romance was translated and rewritten in many languages during the Middle Ages, adding fantastic adventures to the historical life. Those retellings became another way people encountered Alexander. Later kings of Scotland, emperors of Russia and popes also bore the name.
At the turn of the nineteenth century, scientist Alexander von Humboldt travelled through the Americas with plant researcher Aimé Bonpland, gathering observations and collections. Humboldt went on to publish research on where plants grow and a substantial account of their expedition.
The name’s shorter forms also reflect different languages. Alex, Xander and Sandy are English short forms; Sasha comes through Russian and Ukrainian Aleksandr or Aleksandra. In the United States, use of Alexander rose strongly toward the end of the twentieth century and remained substantial afterward, though later completed-decade totals were lower.
Alexander across languages
One shared root links 18 names across 7 languages.
Shared root: from Greek Alexandros, "defender of men"; Alexander the Great’s fame and medieval stories helped spread the name in Europe
The constellation
15 more branches of this family
On record since at least the 4th century BCE: Alexander the Great, king of Macedon.
How popular is Alexander around the world?
In the United States, 51,221 babies were named Alexander between 2020 and 2025. In Mexico City, there were 961 registrations of Alexander in 2022.
Alexander is on the official records of the United States, Mexico City, Austria, Scotland, Argentina, South Australia, Norway, England and Wales, Chile, Ireland, Montevideo, Canada, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, New South Wales, Poland, Spain, Brazil and France.
Alexander crosses languages: it is in the latest top 300 of an English-speaking birth record and of a Spanish-speaking one. The full list: English and Spanish
United States
1 in 430
In the United States, 51,221 babies were named Alexander between 2020 and 2025.
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Alexander peaked in the 2000s and the 2020s in nearly equal measure. Alexander went to 14,606 US babies in 2015 and 7,244 in 2025, 50% of the earlier figure.
Births with a Social Security record. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration
Mexico City City
1 in 120
In Mexico City, there were 961 registrations of Alexander in 2022.
share of that year’s registrations in the city
Civil-registry acts in Mexico City by registration year. Counts are lower bounds (names under 6 in a month and borough are removed at source) and count name-instances, not people; compound names are split, so “Maria Jose” counts under each part. 2023 (56 registrations through 3 Mar) is excluded as partial. Source: Registro Civil of Mexico City, open data portal, registered given names 2000-2023
Austria
1 in 210
In Austria, 362 boys named Alexander were born in 2025, the 17th most common name among boys that year, spellings that differ only by special characters counted together.
share of that year’s births on record
Live births in Austria by year of birth, 1984–2025, from Statistik Austria’s first-name statistics; spellings that differ only by special characters are counted together (umlauts stay apart), every name down to a single birth is published, and the count covers babies with Austrian citizenship only until 2009, every baby from 2010, and from 2015 also births abroad to mothers living in Austria. Shares divide by Statistik Austria’s count of live births from 2010, and before that by the file’s own total for the year. Source: Statistik Austria - data.statistik.gv.at (OGDEXT_VORNAMEN_1, updated 2026-07-09)
Scotland
1 in 220
In Scotland, 208 boys named Alexander were registered in 2024, the 12th most common name among boys that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
Births registered in Scotland; different spellings count separately but accents are merged at source, and any spelling under 3 in total is suppressed. Source: National Records of Scotland, babies' first names
Argentina
1 in 290
In Argentina, 2,247 newborns were given the name Alexander in 2024.
share of that year’s name registrations
Given-name components of births in Argentina 2012–2024; national cells are lower bounds and no sex split is published. Source: RENAPER (Argentina), Dirección Nacional de Población, given names 2012-2024
South Australia
1 in 3302017
In South Australia, 56 boys were registered as Alexander in 2017.
share of that year’s name registrations
Births registered in South Australia (not all of Australia) by first name and year of registration, 1944–2017, from the state’s Births, Deaths and Marriages registry, which publishes every name down to a single birth in capitals; a spelling its export repeats inside a year is counted once, and from 2018 only a top 100 is published, so the series ends at 2017. Source: Consumer and Business Services (South Australia), popular baby names
Norway
1 in 330register 2026
In Norway, 85 boys were given the name Alexander in 2025.
share of the boys on the register for that year, SSB’s own figure
People who have or have had a Norwegian ID number, emigrants left out, from Statistics Norway’s name statistics (release of January 2026): by year of birth for 1945–2020 (everyone born that year who was ever registered in Norway, including people who registered later and people who have since died) and by year of naming from 2021; only first names carried by 200 or more living people are listed, counts under 4 are withheld, and SSB merges spellings that differ only by letters outside the Norwegian alphabet. The shares are SSB’s own, of the people of that sex and year in that count; the 2025 figure counts the children named that year, and no year is a count of births. Source: Statistics Norway (SSB), table 10467 (updated 2026-01-28)
England and Wales
1 in 460
In England and Wales, 1,271 boys named Alexander were born in 2025, the 40th most common name among boys that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
Birth registrations in England and Wales (not the whole UK); exact spellings are counted separately, and any spelling under 3 in a year is withheld at source. Source: Office for National Statistics, baby names in England and Wales
Chile
1 in 500
In Chile, 355 boys were registered as Alexander in 2021, every accent spelling counted together.
share of that year’s name registrations
First-name registrations with Chile’s civil registry by year of registration, 1920–2021, counted as spelling groups (Sofía, Sofia and Sofìa are one name, shown with its most-registered spelling); the registry withholds nothing, nametree keeps the groups that reached 5 registrations in some year, and shares divide by every registration of the year. Source: Servicio de Registro Civil e Identificación (Chile) via the guaguas package, first-name registrations 1920-2021
Ireland
1 in 550
In Ireland, 98 boys named Alexander were born in 2025, the 55th most common name among boys that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
Exact registered spellings from Irish vital statistics; any name under 3 in a year is withheld at source, and accented spellings (fadas) are recorded reliably only from 2018. Source: Central Statistics Office (Ireland), Irish babies' names
Montevideo City
1 in 6202011
In Montevideo, 40 boys named Alexander were born in 2011, spelling variants counted together.
share of that year’s births on record
Births in the department of Montevideo (not all of Uruguay) by first name and year of birth, 1940–2011, from the city’s civil registry, which writes names in capitals, almost always without accents; counted as spelling groups (accent and punctuation variants merged), nothing is withheld at source, and 2012 is excluded as a partial year. Source: Servicio de Registro Civil, Intendencia de Montevideo, Partidas de Registro Civil de Montevideo (Licencia de Datos Abiertos - Uruguay); 2012 dropped as partial
Canada
1 in 650
In Canada, 559 boys named Alexander were born in 2024, the 37th most common name among boys that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
First given names from provincial and territorial vital statistics across Canada; any name-sex-year under 5 is excluded at source, and small Quebec counts carry a randomized adjustment made at source. Shares divide by Statistics Canada’s count of live births for the year; the 2024 count is preliminary. Source: Statistics Canada, first names at birth (table 17-10-0147-01)
New Zealand
1 in 740
In New Zealand, 78 boys named Alexander were registered in 2025.
share of that year’s name registrations
First given names from New Zealand birth registrations, grouped by registration year; any name under 10 in a year is excluded at source. Shares divide by Stats NZ’s count of births registered to mothers living in New Zealand, under 1% below the registry’s own count. Source: Department of Internal Affairs (New Zealand), baby name popularity over time
Puerto Rico
1 in 1,100
In Puerto Rico, 16 babies were named Alexander in 2025, and 2,977 have carried the name since 1998.
share of that year’s births on record
First given name only, from Social Security records of births in Puerto Rico; any name-sex-year under 5 births is withheld at source. Shares divide by the Puerto Rico Demographic Registry’s count of births on the island; the 2025 count is provisional. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, territory name file (Puerto Rico)
New South Wales
#22 · 2025
In New South Wales, 222 boys named Alexander were registered in 2025, ranked 22nd in that year’s top 100 for boys.
share of that year’s top-100 registrations
New South Wales (not all of Australia) publishes only each year’s 100 most popular names per sex, so a missing year means below that top 100, not rare. Source: NSW Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, popular baby names
Poland
1 in 1,400
In Poland, 177 boys named Alexander were born in 2025, the 98th most common name among boys that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
First names given to children born in Poland by year of birth, 2000–2025, from the PESEL population register (Ministry of Digital Affairs); exact spellings count separately (Łukasz and Lukasz are different names), names given fewer than 5 times in a year were left off the list through 2012 and fewer than 2 times from 2013, and the register also counts children born abroad, so its yearly sums run above Poland’s live births. Shares divide by the register’s own published total for the year, never by births. Source: Ministry of Digital Affairs, PESEL register (dane.gov.pl)
Spain
1 in 2,500
In Spain, 17,900 residents are named Alexander, the 166th most common name among men, with a mean age of 32 years.
Residents of Spain on 1 January 2025. Spain publishes how old a name’s living bearers are, not a birth series, so there is no year chart. Source: INE (Spain), Censo de Población anual, 1 January 2025
Brazil
1 in 9,400
At the 2022 census, 21,549 people in Brazil were named Alexander, ranked 1,015th, with a median age of 31.
Among people named Alexander living in Brazil at the 2022 census, more were born in the 1970s than in any other decade.
people alive at the 2022 census, by decade of birth
The census also counted 483 born between 2020 and August 2022, too recent a span to chart. People alive and resident in Brazil at the 2022 census, a living-population count, not births; names under 20 are withheld at source. Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022
France
1 in 16,000
In France, about 40 boys named Alexander were born in 2025, the 932nd most common name among boys that year.
share of that year’s births on record
Births in France by year of birth, from INSEE’s fichier des prénoms (1900–2025; Mayotte from 2012); exact spellings count separately (Léo and Leo are different names), any spelling under 3 in a year and sex is withheld at source, every count is rounded to the nearest 5 at source, and nametree keeps the spellings that reached 20 in some year. Shares divide by INSEE’s count of births in France from 1957, and before that by the file’s own total for the year; INSEE says the file is not complete before 1946. Source: Insee, fichier des prénoms (last updated 2026-07-16)
When you meet Alexander
Most people given the name Alexander in the United States are teenagers or young adults today.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
Keep exploring
Names like Alexander · Names that go with Alexander · Nicknames for Alexander · Middle names for Alexander · Greek baby names · Russian baby names · Global crossover names · Climbers and fallers
The Alexander deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Alexander truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Alexander fits with your family’s names and surname.
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