Given name & surname
Alexa
“helper and defender of mankind”
In German use, Alexa is a short form of Alexandra. In Greek use, Alexandra carries the interpretation “helper and defender of mankind.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
In German use, Alexa is a short form of Alexandra. In Greek use, Alexandra carries the interpretation “helper and defender of mankind.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Alexa comes from Ancient Greek, and ultimately from Ancient Greek.
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
How it developed
In English use, Alexa is used as a shortened form of Alexandra.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1916. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Alexa through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 131,835
- 284 boys · 131,551 girls
- Most popular year
- 2006
- 6,125 babies
- 2025
- 243
- #1,029 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −84%
- Cooling
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 243 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 1,029 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 84.2% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 6,117 in 2006. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (46). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 115,935 as a first name in 2020; 450 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Alexa’s family of names
In French usage, Alexa is a diminutive of Alexandra. In English usage, Alexa is a feminine form of Alex. In German usage, Alexa has a related form in Alexia.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Alexa has relatives in 4 languages. Lines run from its Ancient Greek roots to each of them.
11 related names in 4 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 11
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Alexandervariant · German
- Alexandrafull form · French, English
- Lexidiminutive · English
- Alexiavariant · German
- Alixvariant · German
- Lexashort form · English
- Alexxalikely variant
- Allexalikely variant
Show 3 moreShow fewer
Spellings & scripts 3
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 7
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 1
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Alexa
- Alexa PenaVegaAmerican actressborn 1988
- Alexa DavalosFrench-American actressborn 1982
- Alexa DemieAmerican actress and singerborn 1990
- Alexa ChungEnglish television presenter, model and contributing editorborn 1983
- Alexa NikolasAmerican actressborn 1992
- AleXaSouth Korean-American singerborn 1996
- Alexa GlatchAmerican tennis playerborn 1989
- Alexa GrassoMexican mixed martial artistborn 1993
- Alexa KnierimAmerican pair skaterborn 1991
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Alexa, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Iliana
“the shining light”
>99% girls
Grecia
Grecia is a feminine given name from Latin, ultimately from Ancient Greek. It is used in Spanish.
>99% girls
Andreea
Andreea is a feminine given name from Ancient Greek. It is used in Romanian.
>99% girls
Ariana
“resembling silver” · “one who is holy”
>99% girls
Melina
“as sweet as honey”
>99% girls
Callista
“a moon of Jupiter”
>99% girls
Paris
“woman of the city in France”
8% boys · 92% girls
Alexandria
“Alexander” · “-ia: forming place names”
>99% girls