| Alexandra | Eleanor | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Defender of the people | Of uncertain origin, often “light” |
| Origin | Greek | Greek |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | al-ig-ZAN-druh | EL-uh-ner |
| Syllables | 4 | 3 |
| First appeared | 1894 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 1993 (10,683) | 1920 (8,497) |
| In 2025 | 1,314 | 7,649 |
| Trend | Declining | Rising |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Alexandra | Eleanor |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 9,421 | 41,966 |
| 2010s | 30,971 | 40,129 |
| 2000s | 61,253 | 11,187 |
| 1990s | 94,806 | 4,871 |
| 1980s | 34,817 | 2,789 |
| 1970s | 6,960 | 2,750 |
| 1960s | 3,244 | 5,938 |
| 1950s | 1,598 | 11,065 |
| 1940s | 1,169 | 23,761 |
| 1930s | 444 | 46,379 |
| 1920s | 370 | 74,760 |
| 1910s | 327 | 54,163 |
| 1900s | 58 | 10,030 |
| 1890s | 13 | 4,754 |
| 1880s | 0 | 2,136 |
Alexandra is the feminine of Alexander, from the Greek for “defender of the people.” It has long been a favourite among European royalty.
A name of debated origin, long associated with the Greek for “light” or “bright.” Borne by medieval queens.
Eleanor is more popular than Alexandra today: about 7,649 US babies were given the name Eleanor in 2025, compared with 1,314 named Alexandra.
Alexandra means Defender of the people (Greek origin), while Eleanor means Of uncertain origin, often “light” (Greek origin).
In US records, Alexandra first appears in 1894 and Eleanor in 1880, so Eleanor has the longer recorded history.