Alexander is a popular choice in the UK, ranked #40 in 2025. There's a good chance they'll share their name with at least one classmate throughout school.
Origin & Meaning
Greek — Defender of men
⭐
UK Rank 2025
#40
US Rank #30
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About the Name Alexander
Alexander ranked #40 in 2025, down from its peak of #14 in 1996 — still a familiar name, but past its high point. The name has been a consistent presence in UK records since 1996. It has spent 30 of the last 30 years inside the UK top 100 — a mark of enduring mainstream appeal.
The name carries Greek roots, where it means "Defender of men". Names with strong etymological stories tend to age well — they carry weight beyond fashion cycles.
Alexander is a very popular name in the UK — yet a class of 28 is small enough that your child will very likely be the only Alexander on the register.
It ranks similarly in the US at #30, suggesting broad transatlantic appeal.
⭐ Famous People Named Alexander
Alexander McQueen — Lee Alexander McQueen was a British fashion designer and couturier.
Alexander Isak — Alexander Isak is a Swedish professional footballer who plays as a striker for Premier League club Liverpool and the Sweden national team.
Alexander Nübel — Alexander Nübel is a German professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Bundesliga club VfB Stuttgart, on loan from Bayern Munich, and the Germany national team.
Biographical summaries are shortened from Wikipedia and are used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence; those summaries remain available under that same licence.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about the name Alexander
Unlikely. With around 1,271 UK babies named Alexander per year, your child will almost certainly be the only Alexander in their class, and possibly the only one in the whole school.
Alexander has been fairly steady, ranked #40 in 2025 against #26 in 2020. Its best recorded position was #14 in 1996.
The name Alexander has Greek origins and means "Defender of men". Names with clear etymological roots tend to age well — they carry weight beyond fashion cycles and give children a story to tell about their name.
Notable people named Alexander include: Alexander Isak, Alexander Nübel and Alexander Graham Bell. Short summaries for each appear below.
Alexander ranks #27 in the US (2024), making it comfortably inside the American top 100. It's well-liked on both sides of the Atlantic.
1,271
UK babies named Alexander (2025)
~0.0
Expected classmates with this name (class of 28)
~0.7
In a school of 600
↓ 14 places
Rank change (last 5 years)
🏫 Who else is in the room?
In a typical UK class of 28, highlighted children share the name Alexander
Almost certainly the only Alexander in the class
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UK Popularity (1996–2025)
Rank and birth count · ONS official data
US Popularity (2020–2025)
Rank · SSA official data
✨ Similar names to Alexander
Names with a similar style — each with their own classroom story
Alexander Nübel is a German professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Bundesliga club VfB Stuttgart, on loan from Bayern Munich, and the Germany national team.
Alexander Graham Bell was a Scottish-born Canadian-American inventor, scientist, and engineer who is credited with patenting the first practical telephone.
Alexander III of Macedon (Ancient Greek: Ἀλέξανδρος, romanized: Aléxandros; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), most commonly known as Alexander the Great, was king of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon.
Archer Alexander was a formerly enslaved American man who served as the model for the "emancipated slave" in the Emancipation Memorial 1876 located in Lincoln Park in Washington, D.C.