| Alejandro | Santiago | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | defender of the people | Saint James |
| Origin | spanish | spanish |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | ah-leh-HAHN-dro | san-tee-AH-go |
| Syllables | 4 | 3 |
| First appeared | 1885 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 2001 (4,557) | 2025 (7,554) |
| In 2025 | 1,842 | 7,554 |
| Trend | Declining | Near its peak |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Alejandro | Santiago |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 11,274 | 37,145 |
| 2010s | 25,033 | 36,449 |
| 2000s | 43,118 | 14,613 |
| 1990s | 35,178 | 4,283 |
| 1980s | 15,316 | 2,627 |
| 1970s | 9,134 | 2,083 |
| 1960s | 3,099 | 1,464 |
| 1950s | 1,713 | 1,330 |
| 1940s | 938 | 1,111 |
| 1930s | 775 | 935 |
| 1920s | 732 | 1,050 |
| 1910s | 228 | 476 |
| 1900s | 66 | 123 |
| 1890s | 10 | 62 |
| 1880s | 10 | 77 |
The Spanish form of Alexander, from the Greek Alexandros, combining alexein 'to defend, protect' and aner/andros 'man'. Carried through history by Alexander the Great and later by saints and kings.
A contraction of 'Sant Yago' — Saint James. Yago (also Iago) is the old Spanish form of Jacobo/James, from the Hebrew Ya'aqov (Jacob). The name honors Santiago the Apostle, patron saint of Spain, whose shrine is at Santiago de Compostela.
Santiago is more popular than Alejandro today: about 7,554 US babies were given the name Santiago in 2025, compared with 1,842 named Alejandro.
Alejandro means defender of the people (spanish origin), while Santiago means Saint James (spanish origin).
In US records, Alejandro first appears in 1885 and Santiago in 1880, so Santiago has the longer recorded history.