Names That Mean Defending

Another appealing member of the Alexandrian clan.

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.

Sanders is one of the S-ending surnames gaining traction as a first name for boys in the US. It jumped nearly 2000 points in popularity this year.

Cool, gender-neutral short form of Alexandra and company.

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.

This unusual form of Alexandra might be seen and pronounced as a combination of Alex and Anne.

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.

One of many variants of the classic Alexander — this particular one is used in South Slavic countries.

Variation of Alexander.

Lyosha is a common nickname for Aleksei, the Russian form of Alexios.

This spin on the "Alex" prefix was the 88th most popular girl name in Scotland in 1900.

Urdu and Pashto form of Alexander

Aleksej is the Slovene form of Alexios, making it a cognate of Alexis.

An alternative to Sasha, another common Russian nickname for Aleksandra.

Common as an independent name in Slovenia.

Removing one letter from the somewhat intimidating Alexios gives you Alexio, a charming and more accessible variation.

A rare name borne by a character in the young adult book series The Morganville Vampires.