Every Boy Name

Boy's name

Aleksander

Say it al-ek-SAN-der 4 syllables

Latin · “to ward off, defend”

Loved in Poland. Common in Slovenia. Rare across France, the UK, Italy, and 17 more places.

1 in 27 boys born in Poland in 2025. Number 5 there.

Aleksander in every place

Rank, count and share in all 40 places: loved in 1, common in 1, rare in 22.
Aleksander in every place we hold figures for
Place Rankyear Boysshare 5 years earlier
British Isles
England and Wales462 (down)2025841 in 3,2373422020
Scotland495 (down)202561 in 3,2743242020
Northern IrelandRare: below the complete list20253342020
Ireland348 (down)2025111 in 2,1572712020
North America
Ontario (province)1,516 (down)20246about 1 in 9,9796642019
Quebec (province)Rare: below the complete list2025Not listed2020
British Columbia (province)Rare: below the complete list2023Not listed2018
Nova Scotia (province)Not in the published top 212025Not listed2020
Oceania
New South Wales (state)Not in the published top 1002025Not listed2020
Victoria (state)Not in the published top 1012025Not listed2020
Queensland (state)Not in the published top 1012025Not listed2020
South Australia (state)Not in the published top 1002025Not listed2020
New ZealandNot in the published top 1002025Not listed2020
Western Europe
France2,171 (down)2025101 in 30,2691,7932020
Netherlands616 (down)202522about 1 in 3,0243622020
Central Europe
Austria436 (down)2025111 in 3,4612752020
Switzerland668 (down)2025101 in 3,6005182020
Berlin (city)381 (down)20238about 1 in 1,9393272018
Munich (city)Rare: below the complete list2025Not listed2020
Cologne (city)Rare: below the complete list20233452018
Bonn (city)397 (down)20251about 1 in 3,1703812020
Leipzig (city)389 (new in the list)20251about 1 in 2,876Not listed2020
Rostock (city)Rare: below the complete list2025Not listed2020
Nordic countries
Norway117 (down)2025501 in 466762020
Sweden471 (down)202512about 1 in 3,5943512020
DenmarkNot in the published top 502025Not listed2020
FinlandNot in the published top 502025No list2020
IcelandNot in the published top 102025No list2020
Southern Europe
SpainNot in the published top 1002024Not listed2019
Catalonia (region)Rare: below the complete list2025Not listed2020
Italy721 (new in the list)2024121 in 15,780Not listed2019
Central and Eastern Europe
Poland5 (down)20254,6871 in 2732020
HungaryNot in the published top 1002025Not listed2020
Slovenia60 (up)202532about 1 in 226642020
EstoniaNot in the published top 272025Not listed2020
Moscow (city)Not in the published top 612025Not listed2020
CroatiaNot in the published top 502025No list2020
Middle East
TurkeyNot in the published top 302025Not listed2020
IsraelRare: below the complete list2024Not listed2019
Latin America
ArgentinaNot in the published top 202024Not listed2019

Germany publishes no national list; the German rows are city registers. About: the publisher leaves out its smallest names, so the share is approximate. ▲ and ▼ compare the rank with five years earlier. Not listed five years earlier: not in that year’s list. No list: the place published no list that year. How these figures are computed.

About the name

Aleksander is a Norwegian spelling of Alexander, also used in Danish and Swedish. It comes from the Greek Aléxandros, traditionally analysed as aléxō, 'to ward off, defend', and anḗr, 'man', hence 'defender of men'.

2 more paragraphs

It has four syllables, al-ek-SAN-der, and a grand, flowing rhythm. Aleks and Sander are obvious short forms, and related names include Alexander, Aleksandr, Alejandro and Alessandro.

Aleksander is a top name in Poland and holds a place in Slovenia and Norway. In English-speaking countries it is rare. Canadian records put its peak in the late 2010s, but it is now falling in most of the places that record it.

Meaning, origin and how to say it

Say it
al-ek-SAN-der · 4 syllables · Stress on beat 3 of 4.
Meaning
“to ward off, defend”
Origin
Latin and Greek
Related names
Alexander, Aleks, Sander, Aleksandr, Alex, Alexandre, Alejandro, Alessandro, Oleksandr, Sandro, Sandor, Aleksandar, Alexandru, Lisàndar, Aleksandro, Aleksanteri, Lissander, Alissandru, Olek, Alek, Alexandr, Aleksandras, Aleksandrs
Where Aleksander comes from (Wiktionary)

A Norwegian spelling of Alexander, from Latin Alexander, from Ancient Greek Ἀλέξανδρος (Aléxandros), traditionally analysed as ἀλέξω (aléxō, “to ward off, defend”) and ἀνήρ (anḗr, “man”), genitive ἀνδρός (andrós), hence “defender of men” or “protector of men”. Compare Danish Aleksander, Swedish Aleksander, Finnish Aleksanteri, English Alexander and German Alexander (“male given name”).

Shortened from the Wiktionary entry for Aleksander. Text available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Aleksander over time

Rising in 0 of the 11 regions we can compare over five years, falling in 8. Peak in Ontario and British Columbia: 2017.

Rank in England and Wales, 1996 to 2025

Aleksander in England and Wales: #1,337 in 1996, a peak of #233 in 2019, and #462 in 2025.

#1#10#50#100#300#1,000#3,000200020052010201520202025Top 101996: #1,337, 9 boys1997: #1,578, 7 boys1998: #1,485, 8 boys1999: #1,850, 6 boys2000: #1,241, 11 boys2001: #1,286, 11 boys2002: #1,322, 11 boys2003: #1,771, 8 boys2004: #1,160, 16 boys2005: #982, 22 boys2006: #832, 30 boys2007: #567, 54 boys2008: #397, 94 boys2009: #328, 121 boys2010: #303, 147 boys2011: #338, 128 boys2012: #285, 163 boys2013: #323, 130 boys2014: #280, 169 boys2015: #320, 146 boys2016: #261, 202 boys2017: #262, 204 boys2018: #265, 192 boys2019: #233, 216 boys2020: #342, 131 boys2021: #324, 141 boys2022: #395, 107 boys2023: #525, 74 boys2024: #586, 65 boys2025: #462, 84 boys#1,337 in 1996peak #233, 2019#462in 2025
Show the numbers
YearRankBoys
19961,3379
19971,5787
19981,4858
19991,8506
20001,24111
20011,28611
20021,32211
20031,7718
20041,16016
200598222
200683230
200756754
200839794
2009328121
2010303147
2011338128
2012285163
2013323130
2014280169
2015320146
2016261202
2017262204
2018265192
2019233216
2020342131
2021324141
2022395107
202352574
202458665
202546284

Source: Office for National Statistics (OGL v3)

The long view: in Ontario and British Columbia

Half of the boys named Aleksander in Ontario and British Columbia since 1925 were born in or after 2011. Peak: 2017, about 33 per 100,000 boys. Babies per 100,000 boys, five-year periods.

1925-1929: 0 per 100,000 boys1930-1934: 0 per 100,000 boys1935-1939: 0 per 100,000 boys1940-1944: 0 per 100,000 boys19401945-1949: 0 per 100,000 boys1950-1954: 0 per 100,000 boys1955-1959: 0 per 100,000 boys1960-1964: 0 per 100,000 boys19601965-1969: 0 per 100,000 boys1970-1974: 0 per 100,000 boys1975-1979: 0 per 100,000 boys1980-1984: 0 per 100,000 boys19801985-1989: 3.8 per 100,000 boys1990-1994: 4 per 100,000 boys1995-1999: 11.8 per 100,000 boys2000-2004: 13 per 100,000 boys20002005-2009: 12.6 per 100,000 boys2010-2014: 25.6 per 100,000 boys2015-2019: 23.8 per 100,000 boys2020-2024: 16.6 per 100,000 boys20202010-2014: about 1 in 3,903 boys
Show the numbers
YearsPer 100,000 boys
1925–19290
1930–19340
1935–19390
1940–19440
1945–19490
1950–19540
1955–19590
1960–19640
1965–19690
1970–19740
1975–19790
1980–19840
1985–19893.8
1990–19944
1995–199911.8
2000–200413
2005–200912.6
2010–201425.6
2015–201923.8
2020–202416.6

Source: Ontario Office of the Registrar General (Ontario Data Catalogue) (OGL-Ontario); BC Vital Statistics Agency (BC Data Catalogue) (OGL-BC). Dark bar: the period holding the median birth year.

Brothers and middle names for Aleksander

Brother names

Names that rose and fell with Aleksander, from the same generation, with no clashing sounds.

  1. 1 in 63, Austria

  2. 1 in 252, England and Wales

  3. 1 in 83, Austria

  4. 1 in 167, Poland

  5. 1 in 47, Poland

  6. 1 in 37, Poland

  7. 1 in 46, Poland

  8. 1 in 66, Poland

  9. 1 in 208, Norway

  10. 1 in 169, Ireland

All 40 brother names for Aleksander

Middle names

Scored for rhythm against Aleksander's 4 syllables and for long, steady use.

  1. 1 in 50, Ireland

  2. 1 in 187, England and Wales

  3. 1 in 61, Northern Ireland

  4. 1 in 103, England and Wales

  5. 1 in 118, England and Wales

  6. 1 in 105, Ireland

  7. 1 in 67, England and Wales

  8. 1 in 62, Poland

Full-name check

Aleksander Jack

Syllables 4-1Initials A.J.No sound clashes between the parts.

All 40 middle names for Aleksander

Sisters for Aleksander: Liliana, Klara, Maja, and 5 more
  1. LilianaRose and fell with Aleksander · Same generation as Aleksander
  2. KlaraRose and fell with Aleksander · Same generation as Aleksander
  3. MajaRose and fell with Aleksander · Same generation as Aleksander
  4. ArianaRose and fell with Aleksander · Same generation as Aleksander · Same initial as Aleksander
  5. OliwiaRose and fell with Aleksander · Same generation as Aleksander
  6. LenaRose and fell with Aleksander · Same generation as Aleksander
  7. SofijaRose and fell with Aleksander · Same generation as Aleksander
  8. WiktoriaRose and fell with Aleksander · Same generation as Aleksander

Girls' names from the same engine, over the girls' lists of the same publishers.

Moved with Aleksander

The boy names whose popularity rose and fell most like Aleksander's across every region and decade we hold.

  1. Rare across France, the UK, Italy, and 15 more places.

  2. Rare across France, the UK, Italy, and 8 more places.

  3. Rare across France, the UK, Italy, and 18 more places.

  4. Rare across France, the UK, Italy, and 17 more places.

  5. Rare across France, the UK, Italy, and 12 more places.

  6. Rare across France, the UK, Italy, and 9 more places.

  7. Rare in all 24 places we hold figures for.

  8. Rare across France, the UK, Italy, and 18 more places.

Famous people named Aleksander

Aleksander Čeferin, Aleksander Wolszczan, and 6 more

From Wikidata, ranked by how many Wikipedia language editions have an article on them. People: Wikidata (CC0). Links go to Wikipedia in this page's language when an article exists, else English.

Questions about Aleksander

How popular is Aleksander in Ireland?

Aleksander ranked #348 in Ireland in 2025, given to 11 boys, about 1 in 2,157.

Is Aleksander rising in popularity?

Not overall: it is falling in more places than it is rising. Rising in 0 of the 11 regions we can compare over five years, falling in 8.

What does Aleksander mean?

Aleksander means “to ward off, defend”, according to Wiktionary.

How many syllables does Aleksander have?

Aleksander has 4 syllables: al-ek-SAN-der.

Every rank and count on this page comes from an official birth register. How these figures are computed.

Meanings, origins and people: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0), Wikidata (CC0).

The 42 birth registers behind these figures

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