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Xander

boy name
Origin
Greek
Syllables
2
Peak era
2010s/2020s
Today
▬ Steady

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Meaning

short form of Alexander, "defender of man"

The story

Xander starts where Alexander is already well under way. The short form keeps the latter part of the longer name and gives its X the opening position, a small rearrangement of emphasis with a striking result. Alexander comes from Greek Alexandros, built from elements for defending or helping and for a man. That older relationship remains available even when the introduction takes only two syllables. The spelling has a life in Dutch as well as modern English, with different pronunciations in those settings; television viewers may also recognize the character Xander in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The name looks immediately distinctive, then reveals a very recognizable relative. You do not have to begin with Alex to find a short way into Alexander.

More names with stories →

The formal names behind Xander

Xander is an established short form of this name.

Alexander · Greek origin · defender of men, from Greek Alexandros, combining words for "defend, help" and "man"

Why we verify every short-form relationship →

Xander 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

XanderDutch · short formAlexanderEnglishAleksanderPolishAlejandroSpanish
14 more branches of this family
AlexandraEnglish · feminine formAlexandriaEnglish · related formAlejandraSpanish · feminine formAlexandroSpanish · variantAlexEnglish · short formAlecScottish · short formAlexaEnglish · short formSashaRussian · diminutiveSandraItalian · short formSandyEnglish · diminutiveLexEnglish · short formLexiEnglish · diminutiveLexieEnglish · diminutiveZanderEnglish · variant

Ways to honor Alexander →

How popular is Xander around the world?

In the United States, 10,715 babies were named Xander between 2020 and 2025. In South Australia, 11 boys were registered as Xander in 2017.

Xander is on the official records of the United States, South Australia, Scotland, Puerto Rico, England and Wales, Canada, New Zealand, Ireland, Mexico City, Austria, Argentina, Chile, Spain and Brazil.

United States

1 in 2,000

In the United States, 10,715 babies were named Xander between 2020 and 2025.

1890speak 2010s

Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Xander peaked in the 2010s and the 2020s in nearly equal measure. Xander went to 1,933 US babies in 2015 and 1,335 in 2025, 69% of the earlier figure.

Births with a Social Security record. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration

See the full list for the United States →

South Australia

1 in 1,700 · 2017

In South Australia, 11 boys were registered as Xander in 2017.

1990peak 2016

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

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Scotland

1 in 1,800

In Scotland, 25 boys named Xander were registered in 2024, the 176th most common name among boys that year.

2000peak 2022

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

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Puerto Rico

1 in 2,600

In Puerto Rico, 7 babies were named Xander in 2025, and 156 have carried the name since 1998.

peak 20032025

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)

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England and Wales

1 in 2,800

In England and Wales, 212 boys named Xander were born in 2025, the 236th most common name among boys that year.

1996peak 2021

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

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Canada

1 in 3,300

In Canada, 112 boys named Xander were born in 2024, the 294th most common name among boys that year.

1991peak 20152024

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)

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New Zealand

1 in 5,200

In New Zealand, 11 boys named Xander were registered in 2025.

2000peak 20112025

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

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Ireland

1 in 9,000

In Ireland, 6 boys named Xander were born in 2025, the 509th most common name among boys that year.
The count never rose above 9 in a year, too few to chart.

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

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Mexico City City

1 in 29,000

In Mexico City, there were 4 registrations of Xander in 2022.

2000peak 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, a partial extract through 3 Mar with no cell on record for this name, is excluded. Source: Registro Civil of Mexico City, open data portal, registered given names 2000-2023

See the full list for Mexico City →

Austria

1 in 76,000

In Austria, 1 boy named Xander was born in 2025, ranked 1,842nd among boys that year, spellings that differ only by special characters counted together.
The count never rose above 3 in a year, too few to chart.

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)

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Argentina

1 in 83,000

In Argentina, 8 newborns were given the name Xander in 2024.

2012peak 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

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Chile

1 in 89,000

In Chile, 2 boys were registered as Xander in 2021, every accent spelling counted together.
The count never rose above 5 in a year, too few to chart.

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

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Spain

1 in 830,000

In Spain, 54 residents are named Xander, ranked 13,743rd among men, with a mean age of 12.2 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

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Brazil

At the 2022 census, 46 people in Brazil were named Xander, ranked 70,533rd, with a median age of 24.

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

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Montevideo City

last on record 2010

Xander is not on the 2011 record for Montevideo, whose registry withholds nothing, so the spelling was not given there that year.
The count never rose above 1 in a year, too few to chart.

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

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Poland

last on record 2019

Xander is not on the 2025 record for Poland, where names given fewer than 2 times in a year are withheld at source.
The count never rose above 5 in a year, too few to chart.

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)

See the full list for Poland →

Not on the France record: nametree keeps spellings that reached 20 births in some year, so rarer uses are not shown. Not on Norway’s list: Statistics Norway lists only first names carried by 200 or more living people, so rarer names are not shown.

All records: the most popular baby names around the world →

When you meet Xander

Most people given the name Xander in the United States are children or teenagers today. The name belongs to this generation.

Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.

Names that fit alongside Xander

Jace Nico Beau Jax Stevie Tripp

Keep exploring

Names like Xander · Names that go with Xander · Middle names for Xander · Strong names · Climbers and fallers

Name trails: explore connections from Xander →

The Xander deep dive

Written for you · $1.99 →

Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Xander 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 Xander fits with your family’s names and surname.

Both reports, explained →

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