Names That Mean Men

  1. 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.
  2. Xan
    • Origin:

      Diminutive of Alexandra, Greek
    • Meaning:

      "defending men"
    • Description:

      Cool, gender-neutral short form of Alexandra and company.
  3. Aleksa
    • Origin:

      Slavic variation of Alexander
    • Meaning:

      "defending men"
    • Description:

      One of many variants of the classic Alexander — this particular one is used in South Slavic countries.
  4. Sander
    • Origin:

      Dutch and Scandinavian, diminutive of Alexander
    • Meaning:

      "defending men"
    • Description:

      Sander would be an unconventional short form of Alexandra, variation of Sandra, or surname-name for girls. It was given to 41 baby boys in the US last year but no girls, but it certainly can be a gender-neutral choice.
  5. Charlton
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "Charles' town"
    • Description:

      A surname name, most popularly associated with actor Heston, has a blue-blooded ring to it. Charlton is also a more unusual pathway to evergreen nickname Charlie.
  6. Alexane
    • Origin:

      French variation of Alexandra
    • Meaning:

      "defending men"
    • Description:

      This unusual form of Alexandra might be seen and pronounced as a combination of Alex and Anne.
  7. Shura
    • Origin:

      Russian diminutive of Alexander
    • 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.
  8. Carleton
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "settlement of free men"
    • Description:

      Carleton has a great meaning behind it, and should really have more popularity than it has found to date. You can shorten it to Carl or keep it upscale and formal in the longer form. Baseball Hall of Fame catcher Carlton Fisk lends the name some sporty credentials, while American artist Carleton Wiggins confirms this name's Victorian earnestness.
  9. Lyosha
    • Origin:

      Diminutive of Aleksei, Russian
    • Meaning:

      "defending men"
    • Description:

      Lyosha is a common nickname for Aleksei, the Russian form of Alexios.
  10. Sender
    • Origin:

      Yiddish
    • Meaning:

      "defender of men"
    • Description:

      Also an English surname, Sender derives from Alexander and has an attractive modern sound. Though given to only a handful of baby boys per year, it nevertheless is in step with the brotherhood of er-ending choices fashionable today.
  11. Zindel
    • Origin:

      Yiddish,"defender of men"
    • Meaning:

      "defender of men"
    • Description:

      Yiddish form of Alexander.
  12. Eskender
    • Origin:

      Amharic variation of Alexander
    • Meaning:

      "defending men"
    • Description:

      Variation of Alexander.
  13. Aleksej
    • Origin:

      Slovene variation of Alexios, Greek
    • Meaning:

      "defending men"
    • Description:

      Aleksej is the Slovene form of Alexios, making it a cognate of Alexis.
  14. Ola
    • Origin:

      Polish diminutive of Aleksandra
    • Meaning:

      "defending men"
  15. Anaximander
    • Origin:

      Greek
    • Meaning:

      "master of men"
    • Description:

      This extravagant name of a pre-Socratic Greek philosopher could make for a bold alternative to Alexander.
  16. Alexina
    • Origin:

      Variation of Alexandra, Greek
    • Meaning:

      "defending men"
    • Description:

      This spin on the "Alex" prefix was the 88th most popular girl name in Scotland in 1900.
  17. Sikandar
    • Origin:

      Urdu, Pashto
    • Meaning:

      "defending men"
    • Description:

      Urdu and Pashto form of Alexander
  18. Sanya
    • Origin:

      Diminutive of Aleksandra, Russian from Greek
    • Meaning:

      "defending men"
    • Description:

      An alternative to Sasha, another common Russian nickname for Aleksandra.
  19. Oleksandr
    • Origin:

      Ukrainian variation of Alexander, Greek
    • Meaning:

      "defending men"
  20. Àlex
    • Origin:

      Catalan short form of Alexander
    • Meaning:

      "defending men"