MEANING & HISTORY
What does Alexandra mean?
Alexandra is the feminine form of Alexander, from Greek Alexandros. The compound concerns defending or helping and men or people.
The feminine personal-name ending does not replace the older second element with a separate word for woman. Classical myth and early Christian saints both supplied associations of Alexandra. Its long use across several languages reflects the transmission of one Greek name family rather than a collection of unrelated modern inventions.
References for this explanation
Pronunciation & syllables
Dictionary readings are kept by language. Select the reading that matches your intended pronunciation. Dots show the source’s written divisions; they are not a universal syllable count across languages.
English
- /ˌæ.lɪɡˈzæn.dɹə/General-American
- /ˌæ.lɪɡˈzɑn.dɹə/General-American
- /ˌæ.lɪɡˈzɑːn.dɹə/Received-Pronunciation
- [ˌæ.lɪɡˈzeən.dɹə]/æ/ raising, rhotic
- [ˌæ.lɪɡˈzeən.dɹə]/æ/ raising, non-rhotic
Al · ex · an · dra4 source divisions
Dictionary reading & contributors ↗Wiktionary contributors / Kaikki / Wiktextract · CC BY-SA 4.0
Origin and name formation
Language-specific accounts from the dictionary. A shared spelling can have more than one history.
EnglishEtymology & source
From Ancient Greek Ἀλεξάνδρα (Alexándra), from ἀλέξω (aléxō, “to defend”) + ἀνδρ- (andr-, stem of ἀνήρ (anḗr, “man”)). Feminine form of Alexander (“the man who repels [enemies]”). The community in Prince Edward Island is named after Queen Alexandra (1844–1925).
A female given name from Ancient Greek.
Wiktionary: Alexandra (English) ↗ · Contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
Adapted from Wiktionary contributors via Kaikki/Wiktextract. Source accounts remain in their original English; editorial summaries and filters are adapted. Attribution and downloads
People with the name Alexandra
Public figures and other documented namesakes linked by an explicit given-name claim. This is a selection of records, not a popularity ranking.
DOCUMENTED NAMESAKE
Alexandra Eala
Filipino tennis player
The record establishes the name association, not the person’s intended meaning, pronunciation or ancestry. Descriptions are attributed to Wikidata contributors (CC0).
Use in Philippine-linked records
Wikidata
1
distinct person records with an explicit given-name claim
Community-edited coverage, not a census or birth registry. Examples: Alexandra Eala
PSA · OFFICIAL BIRTH RECORDS
Alexandra in the birth records
Exact spelling and stated year in the published name tables. Read the counts as individual snapshots.
Tables included: 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2022, 2023 and 2024. The 2016 fact sheet lists five names per sex; the later tables include ten. Missing counts are not inferred. Sex categories follow the official tables, independently of dictionary gender labels. Explore the official tables →
Similar names to Alexandra
Names with a similar opening or ending, ordered by spelling distance. Similar spelling does not imply the same meaning or origin.
Names in this collection
- Alejandro♂Spanish form of Alexander: defending men
- Alessandra♀Italian Alexandra, from defending men
- Alexander♂Defending men
- Alessandro♂Italian Alexander: defending men
- Alejandrino♂Alexandrian; related to Alejandro or Alexandria
- Alejandrito·Familiar diminutive of Alejandro
- Alejang♀Alejandra with the familiar ending ng
- Alexa♀Short form of Alexandra; defending people
What rhymes with Alexandra?
Matches share a dictionary-supplied rhyme key in the stated language. Check the recorded reading; another language or accent can change the rhyme.
Names with a similar written ending
Spelling suggestions; these are not verified phonetic rhymes.
Explore Alexandra further
Follow the sources
- Wikidata given-name item Q6081128 — Alexandra (opens in a new tab)
Given-name identity, native labels, language associations and explicit class where present; not lexical meaning or population frequency.
- Wikidata — Alexandra Eala (opens in a new tab)
Explicit given-name claim P735 linking to Q6081128 and citizenship claim P27 linking to Philippines Q928; community-edited evidence, not a civil-registry record.
- Wiktionary contributors — Alexandra (English) (opens in a new tab)
Language-specific given-name etymology; shared spelling does not prove every bearer has this origin.
- Behind the Name — Alexandra (opens in a new tab)
Consulted account of the name’s formation, relevant root elements, or explicitly linked base name.
- Behind the Name — Alexander (opens in a new tab)
Consulted account of the name’s formation, relevant root elements, or explicitly linked base name.