Xander
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- ZAN-der
- Origin
- Greek
- UK rank, 2025
- #231 for boys
- US rank, 2025
- #259 for boys
Xander is a boys' name of Greek origin, meaning “defender of men”. In 2025 it ranked 231st for boys in the UK (244 babies) and 259th for boys in the US (1,335 babies).
What does Xander mean?
Greek: short form of Alexander
“defender of men”
A short form of Alexander, from Greek alexein, to defend, and aner, man.
More on Wiktionary.
Is Xander a girl's or a boy's name?
Xander is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 244 boys in the UK and 1,335 boys in the US. Too few girls were given it to be listed.
How popular is Xander in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- 231st among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 244 about 1 in 1,200 boys
- Five-year trend
- Steady down 10% in five years
- Same name in a class
- 1.1% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 244 boys in the UK were named Xander, making it the 231st most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 196th. Its busiest year was 2021, with 350 boys.
2025 had fewer boys named Xander than any year since 2016.
Half of all the boys named Xander in the UK since 1996 were born between 2012 and 2021, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 298 boys in the UK were given Xander or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #199, up from #231 for this spelling alone.
- Xander 244
- Zander 54
Among boys in 2025, it was 236th in England and Wales, 198th in Scotland and 185th in Northern Ireland.
Xander in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 244 | #231 |
| 2024 | 288 | #195 |
| 2023 | 322 | #178 |
| 2022 | 321 | #175 |
| 2021 | 350 | #171 |
| 2020 | 286 | #196 |
| 2019 | 337 | #175 |
| 2018 | 326 | #186 |
| 2017 | 303 | #201 |
| 2016 | 221 | #269 |
| 2015 | 212 | #271 |
| 2014 | 201 | #275 |
| 2013 | 195 | #277 |
| 2012 | 190 | #276 |
| 2011 | 152 | #324 |
| 2010 | 158 | #315 |
| 2009 | 133 | #340 |
| 2008 | 123 | #354 |
| 2007 | 99 | #407 |
| 2006 | 113 | #339 |
| 2005 | 120 | #299 |
| 2004 | 103 | #327 |
| 2003 | 90 | #339 |
| 2002 | 48 | #505 |
| 2001 | 39 | #558 |
| 2000 | 36 | #589 |
| 1999 | 9 | #1,451 |
| 1998 | 1 | #3,884 |
How popular is Xander in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- 259th among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 1,335 about 1 in 1,300 boys
- Five-year trend
- Falling down 29% in five years
- Same name in a class
- 1.1% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 1,335 boys in the US were named Xander, making it the 259th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 187th. Its busiest year was 2017, with 2,414 boys. It first appears in the records in 1990.
It has been given to fewer boys each year for the last 6 years. 2025 had fewer boys named Xander than any year since 2008.
Half of all the boys named Xander in the US since 1880 were born between 2009 and 2020, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 2,164 boys in the US were given Xander or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #187, up from #259 for this spelling alone.
Xander in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,335 | #259 |
| 2024 | 1,671 | #215 |
| 2023 | 1,713 | #215 |
| 2022 | 1,899 | #200 |
| 2021 | 2,018 | #187 |
| 2020 | 2,057 | #187 |
| 2019 | 2,335 | #169 |
| 2018 | 2,275 | #171 |
| 2017 | 2,414 | #164 |
| 2016 | 2,017 | #201 |
| 2015 | 1,933 | #206 |
| 2014 | 1,839 | #211 |
| 2013 | 1,699 | #220 |
| 2012 | 1,715 | #215 |
| 2011 | 1,733 | #205 |
| 2010 | 1,357 | #253 |
| 2009 | 1,447 | #245 |
| 2008 | 1,295 | #268 |
| 2007 | 1,227 | #280 |
| 2006 | 1,238 | #280 |
| 2005 | 1,202 | #279 |
| 2004 | 1,274 | #259 |
| 2003 | 1,424 | #234 |
| 2002 | 408 | #542 |
| 2001 | 229 | #751 |
| 2000 | 165 | #925 |
| 1999 | 159 | #922 |
| 1998 | 89 | #1,335 |
| 1997 | 34 | #2,393 |
| 1996 | 17 | #3,824 |
| 1995 | 13 | #4,502 |
| 1994 | 16 | #3,905 |
| 1993 | 14 | #4,220 |
| 1992 | 9 | #5,652 |
| 1991 | 6 | #7,263 |
| 1990 | 5 | #8,108 |
Names like Xander
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Luca, Cooper, River, Carter, Archer, Asher, Nico, Parker, Hunter, Rio, Lucas, Jaxon
Other spellings of Xander
More Greek names
Theodore, Sophia, George, Theo, Sofia, Alexander, Sebastian, Penelope, Phoebe, Margot, Luke, Chloe, Sophie, Zoe, Iris, Maisie
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Xander: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/xander, updated 20 October 2026.