| George | Alexander | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Farmer, earth-worker | Defender of men |
| Origin | Greek | greek |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | JORJ | al-ig-ZAN-der |
| Syllables | 1 | 4 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 1921 (27,476) | 1993 (20,530) |
| In 2025 | 2,848 | 7,230 |
| Trend | Steady | Declining |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | George | Alexander |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 16,661 | 51,145 |
| 2010s | 28,407 | 142,161 |
| 2000s | 28,006 | 178,847 |
| 1990s | 35,246 | 183,952 |
| 1980s | 45,712 | 82,010 |
| 1970s | 64,757 | 24,932 |
| 1960s | 113,023 | 14,168 |
| 1950s | 181,031 | 12,180 |
| 1940s | 209,013 | 9,477 |
| 1930s | 192,289 | 7,095 |
| 1920s | 261,945 | 12,539 |
| 1910s | 176,609 | 11,352 |
| 1900s | 43,589 | 2,230 |
| 1890s | 43,358 | 1,954 |
| 1880s | 47,651 | 2,081 |
George comes from the Greek Georgios, “farmer” or “earth-worker,” from gē (“earth”) and ergon (“work”). St George, the dragon-slayer, is the patron saint of England.
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.
Alexander is more popular than George today: about 7,230 US babies were given the name Alexander in 2025, compared with 2,848 named George.
George means Farmer, earth-worker (Greek origin), while Alexander means Defender of men (greek origin).
In US records, George first appears in 1880 and Alexander in 1880, so George has the longer recorded history.