Given name
Sasha
“helper and defender of people”
Sasha is a Russian affectionate form of Alexander and Alexandra, also used independently in English.
Original RussianСаша
Meaning & origin
What it means
When used as a form of Alexandra, Sasha is associated with “helper and defender of people.” That interpretation belongs to this particular name-family context.
Where it comes from
Sasha comes from Russian naming traditions associated with Alexander and Alexandra.
How it developed
Russian developed Sasha as a pet form shared by Alexander and Alexandra. It later gained independent use in English.
The story
Sasha has been used as a familiar form in Russian and as an independent given name in English.
Sasha through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 40,238
- 1,746 boys · 38,492 girls
- Most popular year
- 1988
- 1,918 babies
- 2025
- 461
- #684 for girls · #2,748 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −8%
- Steady
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 8% boys.
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 414 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 684 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 12.6% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 1,886 in 1988. It also appeared in 47 birth records for boys in 2025. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (63). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 36,127 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Sasha’s family of names
In English usage, Sasha is a diminutive of Alexander. Sasha is a form of Alexandra. Sasha is an affectionate form of Alexander.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Sasha has relatives in 13 languages. Lines run from its Russian roots to each of them.
Nicknames & forms 18
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 19
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 Sasha
- Sasha ClementsCanadian actress (born 1990)
- Sasha PieterseSouth African actressborn 1996
- Sasha AlexanderAmerican actressborn 1973
- Sasha CohenAmerican figure skaterborn 1984
- Sasha LaneAmerican actressborn 1995
- Sasha LussRussian fashion model and actressborn 1992
- Sasha KaunRussian basketball player (born 1985)
- Sasha MitchellAmerican actor and modelborn 1967
- Sasha SongLithuanian singerborn 1983
Characters named Sasha: Sasha Williams (“The Walking Dead”), Sasha Bordeaux (comics character).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Sasha, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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