| Xander | Matthias | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Defender of the people | gift of Yahweh |
| Origin | Greek | greek |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | ZAN-der | mə-THY-əs |
| Syllables | 2 | 3 |
| First appeared | 1990 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 2017 (2,414) | 2025 (854) |
| In 2025 | 1,335 | 854 |
| Trend | Rising | Near its peak |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Xander | Matthias |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 10,693 | 4,176 |
| 2010s | 19,317 | 5,144 |
| 2000s | 9,909 | 2,056 |
| 1990s | 362 | 825 |
| 1980s | 0 | 527 |
| 1970s | 0 | 258 |
| 1960s | 0 | 179 |
| 1950s | 0 | 80 |
| 1940s | 0 | 69 |
| 1930s | 0 | 64 |
| 1920s | 0 | 118 |
| 1910s | 0 | 142 |
| 1890s | 0 | 15 |
| 1880s | 0 | 23 |
Xander is a short form of Alexander, “defender of the people.”
Greek form of the Hebrew name Mattithiah/Mattathias, from mattath 'gift' + yah (Yahweh), i.e. 'gift of God'. A cognate of Matthew rather than a separate meaning.
Xander is more popular than Matthias today: about 1,335 US babies were given the name Xander in 2025, compared with 854 named Matthias.
Xander means Defender of the people (Greek origin), while Matthias means gift of Yahweh (greek origin).
In US records, Xander first appears in 1990 and Matthias in 1880, so Matthias has the longer recorded history.