| Alexandra | Cassandra | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Defender of the people | Shining upon men |
| Origin | Greek | Greek |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | al-ig-ZAN-druh | kuh-SAN-druh |
| Syllables | 4 | 3 |
| First appeared | 1894 | 1902 |
| Peak year | 1993 (10,683) | 1990 (7,054) |
| In 2025 | 1,314 | 463 |
| Trend | Declining | Declining |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Alexandra | Cassandra |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 9,421 | 2,796 |
| 2010s | 30,971 | 6,365 |
| 2000s | 61,253 | 20,128 |
| 1990s | 94,806 | 50,364 |
| 1980s | 34,817 | 44,911 |
| 1970s | 6,960 | 19,016 |
| 1960s | 3,244 | 16,765 |
| 1950s | 1,598 | 7,692 |
| 1940s | 1,169 | 2,660 |
| 1930s | 444 | 164 |
| 1920s | 370 | 76 |
| 1910s | 327 | 61 |
| 1900s | 58 | 10 |
| 1890s | 13 | 0 |
Alexandra is the feminine of Alexander, from the Greek for “defender of the people.” It has long been a favourite among European royalty.
Cassandra is usually read “shining” or “excelling over men”; she is the tragic prophetess of Troy.
Alexandra is more popular than Cassandra today: about 1,314 US babies were given the name Alexandra in 2025, compared with 463 named Cassandra.
Alexandra means Defender of the people (Greek origin), while Cassandra means Shining upon men (Greek origin).
In US records, Alexandra first appears in 1894 and Cassandra in 1902, so Alexandra has the longer recorded history.