How to say it
al · ex · AN · dra
/ˌæl.ɪɡˈzæn.drə/
Feminine
Alexandra
Defender of people
What it means
Feminine of Alexander, from Greek alexein ('to defend') + anēr ('man'), 'defender of people.' Queen Alexandra of Denmark and Empress Alexandra of Russia anchor the name's royal weight.
Alexandra is the feminine of Alexander, from the Greek alexein ('to defend') + anēr ('man'), so 'defender of people / men.' In Greek mythology Alexandra is an alternate name for Cassandra. The name was kept in continuous use by Eastern Orthodox Christians; Empress Alexandra Feodorovna of Russia (1872-1918), the German princess who married Nicholas II and was murdered with her family during the Russian Revolution, made the name globally familiar. Queen Alexandra of Denmark (wife of King Edward VII) anchored the name in British royal history. As an English given name Alexandra has been in the US top 100 since the 1980s. The nickname tree is unusually deep: Alex, Sasha (Russian), Lexi, Sandra, Ally, Xandra. AOC (Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez) added a US political-anchor variant.
Popularity over time
peaked at #26 in 1995, currently #237 in 2025.
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, names given to at least 5 babies in a year, 1880–present. See where the names are moving
Heads-up notes
- Nickname
Alex, Lexi, Sandra, Sasha (Russian), Ally, and Xandra all circulate as shorts. Each reads differently as an adult.
Who's worn it
Historical figures, characters, and public faces who share the name. The cultural surface, for whatever weight you want to give it.
- Empress Alexandra Feodorovna Last Empress of Russia, murdered with her family in 1918
- Queen Alexandra of Denmark Queen consort of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom
Spelling variants
- Alexandria
- Aleksandra
Names with the same feeling
See Alexandra from another angle
By style