Meaning: Its source is Alexandros, a Greek name meaning "Protector of men."

Languages: This girl's name is used in Hebrew, German, English, Greek, French, Norwegian, Swedish and Danish.

Nicknames: Alex, Alexa, Alexi, Alexia, Alexie, Alexina, Ali, Alie, Alix, Lexa, Lexi, Lexie, Lexy, Sanda, Sandee, Sandi, Sandie, Sandra, Sandy, Sasha, Alexena, Alexine, Alexene, Alexea, Aljexi, Xandra, Dzana, Sinisa and Sannie

Alternative Spellings: Alyxandra

Variant Forms: Alandra, Alexanderia, Alexandria, Alexandrina, Lisandra, Lissandra, Alexanderina, Alexanderine, Alexandrena, Alexandrene, Alexandrea, Lisandrina and Lisandrine

Non-English Forms: Alejandra, Aleksandra, Alessandra, Olesia, Alekanederina, Olesja and Alesta

Popularity: The name Alexandra ranked 38th in popularity for females of all ages in a sample of 2000-2003 Social Security Administration statistics, 396th in popularity for females of all ages in a sample of the 1990 US Census and 33rd in popularity for females of all ages in a sample of the 1994 US Census.

This name was popular earlier in the 20th century, then fell off in usage, but has begun making a comeback in recent years.

Narrative: This was originally a by-name of the Greek goddess Hera.

It was popularized as a personal name by the ancient Macedonian leader Alexander the Great. In the course of conquering much of the known world, from Egypt to India, Alexander also gave his name to numerous cities.