| Alessandro | Francesco | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Defender of the people | Frenchman; free man |
| Origin | Italian | italian |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | ah-les-SAHN-droh | frahn-CHEH-skoh |
| Syllables | 4 | 3 |
| First appeared | 1933 | 1906 |
| Peak year | 2025 (608) | 2006 (166) |
| In 2025 | 608 | 145 |
| Trend | Near its peak | Steady |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Alessandro | Francesco |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 3,133 | 844 |
| 2010s | 3,910 | 1,256 |
| 2000s | 2,932 | 1,478 |
| 1990s | 1,081 | 1,337 |
| 1980s | 492 | 1,064 |
| 1970s | 273 | 998 |
| 1960s | 133 | 503 |
| 1950s | 38 | 282 |
| 1940s | 5 | 66 |
| 1930s | 5 | 106 |
| 1920s | 0 | 202 |
| 1910s | 0 | 286 |
| 1900s | 0 | 24 |
Alessandro is the Italian form of Alexander, “defender of the people.”
Italian form of Francis, from Late Latin 'Franciscus' meaning 'Frenchman', from the Germanic Franks (whose own name is often tied to a word for 'free'). Borne by Saint Francis of Assisi.
Alessandro is more popular than Francesco today: about 608 US babies were given the name Alessandro in 2025, compared with 145 named Francesco.
Alessandro means Defender of the people (Italian origin), while Francesco means Frenchman; free man (italian origin).
In US records, Alessandro first appears in 1933 and Francesco in 1906, so Francesco has the longer recorded history.