Alexander

Spellings & scripts●

Locally spelled Alejandro in AR Argentina, MX Mexico, ES Spain and 5 more, Александр in RU Russia, KZ Kazakhstan, TR Türkiye and 2 more, Alexandre in BR Brazil, FR France and Олександр in UA Ukraine.

Spellings marked ● are how people bearing the name write it in our records; ○ marks a model's transliteration. Click a spelling to open its page.

Meaning & origin●

Attested across 23 languages in the etymology graph.

Languages●

Language is read off each record's context, not declared by the bearer; a share is of all records for this spelling.

Other names spelled this way◐

Alexander is also recorded as 7 other names, grouped separately because the records behind them do not connect to the one described above.

• a separate given name280K records spelled Alexander5 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in United States, Russia, India, United Kingdom

  Also written Alex-Ander, Alexánder, Aléxander

• Danish given name180K records spelled Alexander6 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, United States

  Languages: Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, Swedish

  Also written Alëxandër

• Finnish given name114K records spelled Alexander14 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Finland, Estonia, United States, Sweden

  Languages: Finnish, Estonian

  Also written Oleksandr, Alexandros, Alexandèr, Alexánder, Älexänder

• Italian given name15K records spelled Alexander32 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Italy, United States, United Kingdom, Spain

  Also written Alessandro, Alexandros, Alessandrò, Ålessandro, 'Alessandro

• Hungarian given name13K records spelled Alexander7 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Hungary, United States, Slovenia, United Kingdom

  Also written Alexandrosz, Áléxándér, Aléxándér, Áléxáñdér, Alexánder

• Turkish given name8.8K records spelled Alexander33 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Türkiye, United States, Kyrgyzstan, Russia

  Languages: Turkish, Russian, Ukrainian

  Also written Iskender, Іскендер, Aleksandros, Ისკენდერ, Älêxäńdër

• Albanian given name7.3K records spelled Alexander20 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Albania, United States, Italy, United Kingdom

  Also written Aleksander, Aleksandër, Alexandre, Alëxändër, Alexandër

120 further groups record this spelling and are not listed here.

Grouping is the name graph's, not a register's: two spellings join a group when the evidence links them, so a group is a claim about the records rather than about the people.

Other recorded senses●

Alexander is also recorded in 5 other lexicons, as a different name or as an ordinary word. These are senses of the spelling, not of the name above.

• Alexander is a classic and powerful boy's name of Greek origin, meaning "defender of men." Famously borne by Alexander the Great, the name has a long and distinguished history, appearing in the New Testament and belonging to numerous kings, popes, and saints. It remains a popular and timeless choice, suggesting strength, leadership, and a protective nature.

  as a name·Biblical Names Compiled Database

• The name Alexander is of Greek origin and means "defender of men". A classic and historically significant name, it is associated with strength and leadership, most famously borne by Alexander the Great. In the New Testament, this Alexander is a man put forward to speak for the Jewish community during a riot in Ephesus.

  as a name·Biblical Names Compiled Database

• The name Alexander originates from the Greek name Ἀλέξανδros (Aléxandros), which is a compound of the verb ἀλέξω (alexō), meaning "to defend" or "to ward off," and the noun ἀνήρ (anēr), meaning "man." Thus, the name carries the meaning "defender of men" or "protector of man."

  as a name·Biblical Names Compiled Database

• The name Alexander is the Latinized form of the Greek name Ἀλέξανδρος (Alexandros), which means "defender of men" or "protector of man". It is a compound of the Greek verb ἀλέξειν (aléxein), meaning "to ward off" or "defend", and the noun ἀνήρ (anḗr), meaning "man".

  as a name·Biblical Names Compiled Database

• A classic and historically significant name of Greek origin, Alexander means 'defender of men'. It has been borne by kings, emperors, popes, and influential figures throughout history, most notably Alexander the Great, giving it a timeless and powerful appeal.

  as a name·Biblical Names Compiled Database

Ordered by how much of this spelling's record each language holds, so a sense from a language the name is barely used in sits last rather than first.

Over time●

US SSA — National Baby Names (1880–present) — 146 years between 1880–2025. One register's own figures, never a sum across registers: two registers counting the same people would double them.

Notable people with this name●

• Alexander VI.b. 1431ITpope of the Catholic Church 1492–1503 from the Borgia family (1430/32-1503)
• Alexander VIIb. 1599ITpope of the Catholic Church from 1655 to 1667
• Alexander VIIIb. 1610ITpope of the Catholic Church from 1689 to 1691
• John A. Macdonaldb. 1815CAnot in their usual name1st prime minister of Canada from 1867 to 1873 and 1878 to 1891
• Alexander III of Russiab. 1845RUEmperor of Russia from 1881 to 1894
• Alexander Alekhineb. 1892FRRussian-French chess player (1892–1946)
• Alec Douglas-Homeb. 1903GBnot in their usual namePrime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1963 to 1964
• Karl Alexander Müllerb. 1927CHSwiss physicist (1927–2023)
• Jenson Buttonb. 1980GBnot in their usual nameBritish racing driver
• Prince George of Walesb. 2013GBnot in their usual nameBritish prince; eldest child of William, Prince of Wales, and Catherine, Princess of Wales (born 2013)

The ten people covered by the most Wikipedia language editions — a proxy for cross-cultural notability, which favours historical and Western figures over equally prominent contemporary ones — shown by birth year. Source: Wikidata (CC0).

Evidence●

Register rows as of the 2026-09-12 data build · 2,104 rows in the corpus for this spelling.

Frequently asked questions

How common is the name Alexander?

We estimate roughly 1.9 million people bear Alexander (counting its spellings and scripts) across 10 countries in our records.

In which country does Alexander have the most bearers?

Alexander is most frequently recorded in Russia, where it is most often spelled александр.

How common is Alexander compared with other names?

In Russia, Alexander is the most common given name of 418,751 given names recorded there.

Is Alexander a male or female name?

Alexander is a male name in our records. Opposite-gender entries fall within the cross-gender noise we measure in the source data, so we don't report them as usage.

What does the name Alexander mean?

Recorded meaning: from the male personal name Alexander, ultimately Greek Alexandras, probably 'repeller of men' or 'defender'.