| Alexandra | Sophia | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Defender of the people | Wisdom |
| Origin | Greek | Greek |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | al-ig-ZAN-druh | so-FEE-uh |
| Syllables | 4 | 3 |
| First appeared | 1894 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 1993 (10,683) | 2012 (22,336) |
| In 2025 | 1,314 | 12,561 |
| Trend | Declining | Declining |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Alexandra | Sophia |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 9,421 | 74,758 |
| 2010s | 30,971 | 181,174 |
| 2000s | 61,253 | 119,251 |
| 1990s | 94,806 | 24,503 |
| 1980s | 34,817 | 10,823 |
| 1970s | 6,960 | 4,581 |
| 1960s | 3,244 | 4,908 |
| 1950s | 1,598 | 1,578 |
| 1940s | 1,169 | 1,054 |
| 1930s | 444 | 1,117 |
| 1920s | 370 | 3,277 |
| 1910s | 327 | 5,237 |
| 1900s | 58 | 2,460 |
| 1890s | 13 | 2,522 |
| 1880s | 0 | 1,865 |
Alexandra is the feminine of Alexander, from the Greek for “defender of the people.” It has long been a favourite among European royalty.
Sophia is the Greek word for “wisdom,” long honoured in philosophy and in the Eastern Christian tradition of Holy Wisdom (Hagia Sophia).
Sophia is more popular than Alexandra today: about 12,561 US babies were given the name Sophia in 2025, compared with 1,314 named Alexandra.
Alexandra means Defender of the people (Greek origin), while Sophia means Wisdom (Greek origin).
In US records, Alexandra first appears in 1894 and Sophia in 1880, so Sophia has the longer recorded history.