Xandra
A feminine name of Greek origin meaning "defender of man".
Name Census estimates that about 499 living Americans carry the first name Xandra. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Xandra today is around 22 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Xandra births was 2004 (33 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Xandra. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
499
~ 1 in 686,882 Americans
Peak year
2004
33 babies that year
Average age
22
years old
2024 SSA rank
#17,514
Tracked since 1948
Popularity
Xandra: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Xandra from the 1940s through to the 2020s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 216 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Xandra by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Xandra during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Xandras live
Origin
Meaning and history of Xandra
The name Xandra is a feminine given name with Greek origins, derived from the ancient Greek name Alexandra, which translates to "defender of mankind." The earliest recorded use of the name dates back to the 4th century BC, when it was borne by Alexandra of Macedon, a princess and the daughter of King Philip II of Macedon.
Xandra is a shortened form of Alexandra, and its use as a standalone name is believed to have emerged in the late 19th century. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Xandra was in 1892, when it was given to Xandra Siemens, a German industrialist and the daughter of industrialist Carl von Siemens.
The name Xandra gained popularity in the 20th century, particularly in Europe and parts of North America. One notable bearer of the name was Xandra Kalman, an American actress born in 1909, who appeared in several films during the 1930s and 1940s.
In ancient Greek mythology, Alexandra was one of the epithets of the goddess Hera, the wife of Zeus and the queen of the gods. This connection to mythology and its meaning as a "defender" may have contributed to the name's enduring appeal.
Other notable historical figures named Xandra include Xandra Bingley, an English artist and author born in 1923, who was known for her children's books and illustrations. Additionally, Xandra Strelnikova, a Russian-born French artist born in 1925, gained recognition for her abstract expressionist paintings.
Another notable bearer of the name was Xandra Kayden, an American adult film actress and director born in 1986, who became a prominent figure in the adult entertainment industry during the early 2000s.
Throughout history, the name Xandra has been a variation of the more common Alexandra, but it has also stood on its own as a unique and distinctive name, often associated with strong and remarkable individuals from various fields.
People
Xandra + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Xandra as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with X
Other first names starting with X with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Xandra: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Xandra?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 499 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Xandra going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 686,882 US residents.
Is Xandra a common name?
We classify Xandra as "Very Rare". It ranks above 84.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 514 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Xandra most popular?
The single biggest year for Xandra was 2004, when 33 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Xandra is about 22 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Xandra a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Xandra in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.