| Alexander | Timothy | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Defender of men | Honoring God |
| Origin | greek | Greek |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | al-ig-ZAN-der | TIM-uh-thee |
| Syllables | 4 | 3 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 1993 (20,530) | 1959 (30,783) |
| In 2025 | 7,230 | 1,734 |
| Trend | Declining | Declining |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Alexander | Timothy |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 51,145 | 10,984 |
| 2010s | 142,161 | 28,234 |
| 2000s | 178,847 | 52,470 |
| 1990s | 183,952 | 107,772 |
| 1980s | 82,010 | 172,835 |
| 1970s | 24,932 | 181,260 |
| 1960s | 14,168 | 276,837 |
| 1950s | 12,180 | 198,324 |
| 1940s | 9,477 | 43,503 |
| 1930s | 7,095 | 5,105 |
| 1920s | 12,539 | 2,960 |
| 1910s | 11,352 | 1,918 |
| 1900s | 2,230 | 647 |
| 1890s | 1,954 | 650 |
| 1880s | 2,081 | 693 |
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.
Timothy comes from the Greek Timotheos, “honouring God,” from timē (“honour”) and theos (“god”). Timothy was a young companion of the apostle Paul.
Alexander is more popular than Timothy today: about 7,230 US babies were given the name Alexander in 2025, compared with 1,734 named Timothy.
Alexander means Defender of men (greek origin), while Timothy means Honoring God (Greek origin).
In US records, Alexander first appears in 1880 and Timothy in 1880, so Alexander has the longer recorded history.