| Alexander | Nicholas | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Defender of men | Victory of the people |
| Origin | greek | Greek |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | al-ig-ZAN-der | NIK-uh-lus |
| Syllables | 4 | 3 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 1993 (20,530) | 1995 (29,160) |
| In 2025 | 7,230 | 3,115 |
| Trend | Declining | Declining |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Alexander | Nicholas |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 51,145 | 20,988 |
| 2010s | 142,161 | 66,811 |
| 2000s | 178,847 | 177,609 |
| 1990s | 183,952 | 275,329 |
| 1980s | 82,010 | 223,308 |
| 1970s | 24,932 | 65,068 |
| 1960s | 14,168 | 22,339 |
| 1950s | 12,180 | 22,614 |
| 1940s | 9,477 | 15,503 |
| 1930s | 7,095 | 9,716 |
| 1920s | 12,539 | 13,608 |
| 1910s | 11,352 | 10,233 |
| 1900s | 2,230 | 1,334 |
| 1890s | 1,954 | 857 |
| 1880s | 2,081 | 730 |
From Greek 'alexein' (to defend, protect) and 'aner/andros' (man), so 'defender/protector of men'. Note this is strictly 'defender' rather than 'warrior', though its martial fame comes from Alexander the Great.
Nicholas comes from the Greek for “victory of the people.” St Nicholas, a 4th-century bishop famed for secret gift-giving, became the model for Santa Claus.
Alexander is more popular than Nicholas today: about 7,230 US babies were given the name Alexander in 2025, compared with 3,115 named Nicholas.
Alexander means Defender of men (greek origin), while Nicholas means Victory of the people (Greek origin).
In US records, Alexander first appears in 1880 and Nicholas in 1880, so Alexander has the longer recorded history.