Xander is a boy name with a modern feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Xander means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Xander across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Xander has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Xander is a boy name of Greek origin meaning “defender of the people”. A short form of Alexander.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 40,349 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 4,111 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 492 births |
| Northern Ireland since 1997 | 95 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 66 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Xander per year, United States (1990 to 2025). United States peaked in 2017 (2,421/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 2018 (301/yr) · Scotland peaked in 2022 (33/yr) · Northern Ireland peaked in 2019 (16/yr) · Ireland peaked in 2018 (9/yr).
Xander has been a fairly common baby name in the United States. It was most common in 2017, when it ranked #299 nationally (given to 2,724 babies that year).
Sandra · Zander · Zandra · Sandor · Sandrea · Sandro · Xandria · Sandar
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