Baby name meaning

Alexander

Defender of men · Greek origin

Meaning & origin

Alexander is a male name of Greek origin, meaning “Defender of men”.

How popular is Alexander?

In England & Wales, Alexander ranked #36 among boys' names in 2024, with 1,365 babies given the name — down from #22 in 2014. Its strongest year in the England & Wales series is 1996, when it reached #14.

In the United States, Alexander was the #10 boys' name in the 2020 data, after peaking at #6 in 2010.

Alexander — popularity rank over timePopularity rank of the boys' name Alexander over time, lower rank number = more popular. England and Wales annual rank 1996 to 2024. United States rank sampled one year per decade, 1950 to 2020.#1#10#100#1,00019501960197019801990200020102024US 1950: #189US 1960: #232US 1970: #137US 1980: #91US 1990: #28US 2000: #20US 2010: #6US 2020: #10England & Wales 2024: #36United StatesEngland & Wales
Alexander’s popularity rank over time — England & Wales annual rank (solid) and United States rank sampled once per decade (dashed), #1 at the top. Log scale: each gridline is 10× the rank above it.
Alexander in England & Wales: rank and births in sampled years, plus its peak year. Source: ONS ‘Baby names in England and Wales’.
YearE&W rankBirths
1996#144,840
2000#213,570
2005#223,015
2010#213,025
2015#222,759
2020#261,909
2024#361,365

Famous Alexanders

Names that go well with Alexander

Benjamin Elizabeth

More on Alexander

Greek for defender of men, roomy enough to grow into, and armed with a nickname for every mood, meet Alexander.

Swipe & match on Alexander in Settle