Names That Mean Men

  1. Sandra
    • Origin:

      Diminutive of Alessandra, Italian from Greek
    • Meaning:

      "defending men"
    • Description:

      2012's Hurricane Sandy blew away whatever style currency Sandra retained from its 1960s Sandra Dee heyday. While in recent years it's been associated with Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, as a baby name Sandra is sinking beneath the waves.
  2. Alejandro
    • Origin:

      Spanish variation of Alexander
    • Meaning:

      "defending men"
    • Description:

      Softer and smoother than Alexander, this classic Spanish name for boys has made a seamless transition to this culture. Adding to its current impact: the Lady Gaga song Alejandro .
  3. Alexia
    • Origin:

      Diminutive of Alexandria
    • Meaning:

      "defending men"
    • Description:

      This diminutive, similar to Alex or Alexis, has been yo-yoing in popularity since the turn of the 21st century.
  4. Lexi
    • Origin:

      Diminutive of Alexandra, Greek
    • Meaning:

      "defending men"
    • Description:

      Lexi and Lexie, pixieish offshoots of the prolific Alex family, have come into their own. While it's on a gentle downslope, Lexi still ranks in the US Top 500.
  5. Xan
    • Origin:

      Diminutive of Alexander
    • Meaning:

      "defending men"
    • Description:

      With the plethora of Alexes around, Xan (and Xander) have emerged as hot new nicknames for Alexander. Xan also stands well on its own. It can be found--not surprisingly--in several computer games.
  6. Sandro
    • Origin:

      Diminutive of Alessandro, Italian
    • Meaning:

      "defending men"
    • Description:

      Lengthy, romantic Alessandro gives us the friendly and casual nickname Sandro, which works just as well as an independent name. It’s a popular international name, having ranked in Italy, France, Portugal, and Switzerland in recent years.
  7. Sander
    • Origin:

      Dutch and Scandinavian, diminutive of Alexander
    • Meaning:

      "defending men"
    • Description:

      Sander is a more conventional form of Zander or Xander, heard frequently on its own in Europe. It is now a Top 20 name in Norway, and is also popular in Denmark, Belgium and the Netherlands.
  8. Alexios
    • Origin:

      Greek
    • Meaning:

      "defending men"
    • Description:

      Very popular on its native turf, foreign-sounding here.
  9. Zan
    • Origin:

      Diminutive of Alexander, Greek
    • Meaning:

      "defending men"
    • Description:

      There's Zan and there's Xan--take your pick. Both of these are the latest generation of Alexander nicknames, Xan having been noticed first as a character on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (a rich source of names), and soon phoneticized into Zan.
  10. Alejandra
    • Origin:

      Spanish variation of Alexandra
    • Meaning:

      "defending men"
    • Description:

      Alejandra, the Spanish form of this popular and multivaried name, has fans both in and outside the Latino community. Still, it has lost ground since its peak in the 1990s.
  11. Lexi
    • Origin:

      Diminutive of Alexandra, Greek
    • Meaning:

      "defending men"
    • Description:

      Lexi is technically unisex though used much more often for girls in the US, where it ranks among the female Top 100.
  12. Alexandrina
    • Origin:

      Greek, variation of Alexandra,
    • Meaning:

      "defending men"
    • Description:

      Alexandrina is the most elaborate and unusual of the Alex- girls's names.The real first name of Queen Victoria, who was given it in honor of her godfather, Alexander I of Russia (her childhood nickname was Drina), it would make a distinctive pick, even though some might find five syllables a bit much. It was particularly popular in Scotland in the 1930s.
  13. Shura
    • Origin:

      Russian, diminutive of Alexandra
    • Meaning:

      "defending men"
    • Description:

      Shura is a unisex Russian nickname for Aleksandr or Aleksandra, themselves forms of Alexander. Less known in the English-speaking world than Sasha, it's also more assertive — probably because of that "sure" sound.
  14. Ale
    • Origin:

      Diminutive of Alejandra, Spanish
    • Meaning:

      "defending men"
    • Description:

      Although it's rarely given in its own right, Ale is a very common nickname for Latinate variations of Alexandra, including Alejandra and Alessandra.
  15. Zandra
    • Origin:

      Variation of Sandra and Alexandra
    • Meaning:

      "defending men"
    • Description:

      A name that is rarely heard and might be worth considering as a way of zipping up a namesake Sandra. It has long been associated with iconoclastic British fashion designer Zandra Rhodes.
  16. Alexandre
    • Origin:

      French variation of Alexander
    • Meaning:

      "defending men"
    • Description:

      What's the difference between Alexander, the usual English spelling of this deeply classical name, and Alexandre, the French version? English speakers might find the proper French pronunciation challenging: a-lehk-SAHN-dreh, but that last syllable is barely pronounced. Americans might an an a or an ee on the end of the name, or simply pronounce it as Alexander, for better or worse.
  17. Alexandrine
    • Origin:

      French and German variation of Alexandra
    • Meaning:

      "defending men"
    • Description:

      Alexandra is a name with many international variations, elaborations and short forms, and Alexandrine is one of the more unusual. Another, Alexandrina, was the first name of Queen Victoria.
  18. Alejo
    • Origin:

      Spanish diminutive of Alejandro
    • Meaning:

      "defending men"
    • Description:

      Another appealing member of the Alexandrian clan.
  19. Alessa
    • Origin:

      Italian
    • Meaning:

      "defender of men"
    • Description:

      Italian form of Alexa, sometimes short for Alessandra, which sidesteps the Amazon Alexa issue.
  20. Ale
    • Origin:

      Diminutive of Alejandro, Spanish
    • Meaning:

      "defending men"
    • Description:

      Commonly heard as a nickname for Alejandro, but a rare sight on the birth certificate. Ale has only made the US charts for boys twice, once in 2005 and again in 2018.