Given name & surname
Saunders
“son of Alexander”
Saunders is a variant of Sanderson. One English interpretation is “son of Alexander.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Saunders is a variant of Sanderson. One English interpretation is “son of Alexander.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Saunders is a variant of Sanderson. An origin associated with Sanderson is English.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
In German usage, Saunders as a surname is a short form of Alexander.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1912. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Saunders through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 193
- 193 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1912
- 8 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for boys is 6 in 2024. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 265 as a first name in 2020; 67,352 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.
Saunders’s family of names
In German usage, Saunders as a surname is a short form of Alexander. Saunders has a related form in Sanderson. In German usage, Saunders as a surname has a related form in Alexander.
The ring: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 4
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
People named Saunders
- Sonny TerryAmerican Piedmont blues musician (1911–1986)
- Saunders KingAmerican R&B and blues guitarist and singer1909–2000
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Saunders, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Sigurd
“the protector of victory”
>99% boys
Sumner
“a legal official; one who serves summons”
82% boys · 18% girls
Cephas
“as solid as a rock”
>99% boys
Arno
“an eagle-wolf”
>99% boys
Reinhardt
“resembling a fox” · “a strong counselor”
>99% boys
Anner
>99% boys
Enes
Enes is a masculine given name. It is used in Turkish.
>99% boys
Gaines
“one who acquires”
>99% boys