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Alexis (given name)

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Alexis
Saint Alexius of Rome
Pronunciation/əˈlɛksɪs/
GenderUnisex (originally male)
Language(s)Greek
Origin
Meaning"helper, defender"
Other names
See alsoAlexius, Aleixo, Alexios, Alexey, Alexander, Alexandra, Alex, Lexi

Alexis is a given name of Greek origin. Like the name Alexander, Alexis derives from the Greek verb: ἀλέξειν, romanized: aléxein, lit. 'defend'.

While the name is traditionally male, it has been predominantly given to females in the United States since at least the 1940s, when actress Alexis Smith began appearing in films.[1] It has been among the top 50 most popular names for girls in the United States since 1990. In the 2008 book 5-Star Baby Name Advisor, author Bruce Lansky writes that the girls' name has the image of a "sexy and seductive knockout."[2] The increase in popularity of the name is sometimes attributed to the notable character Alexis Colby from the American television series Dynasty. A 1978 film, Ice Castles, featured as the main character a blind figure skater named Alexis "Lexie" Winston.

Aleksi, a Finnish variant, was the third most popular name for boys born in Finland in 2007.[3] Alessia, an Italian feminine variant, was the second most common name for girls born in Italy in 2006.[4] Alesia, a feminine variant, and Aleksio, a masculine variant, are currently popular names for boys and girls in Albania.[citation needed]

Masculine variants

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Feminine variants

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  • Aleja (Spanish)
  • Alesia (Albanian)
  • Aleksa (Polish)
  • Alexa (English, Indonesian)
  • Alexia (English), (Galician), (German), (Greek), (Spanish), (French)
  • Алекса (Aleksa, Alexa) (Russian)
  • Aléxia (Portuguese)
  • Alexina (English)
  • Alexis (English)
  • Elexis (English)
  • Lexa (English)
  • Lexia (English)
  • Lexi (English)
  • Lexie (English)
  • Lexis (English)
  • Lexus (English)
  • Lexy (English)

People

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Middle name

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  • Tonea Alexis Marshall (born 1998), American hurdler
  • Raúl Alexis Ortiz (born 1982), half of the Puerto Rican reggaeton duo Alexis & Fido

Fictional characters

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  • Alexis Colby, played by Joan Collins on the 1980s prime time soap opera Dynasty
  • Alexis Kerib, in the anime series SSSS.Gridman
  • Alexis Meade, played by Rebecca Romijn on the American television series Ugly Betty
  • Alexis Castle, played by Molly Quinn on the American crime drama television series Castle
  • Alexis Leonides, a Greek writer who features in Geoffrey Trease's novels The Hills of Varna and The Crown of Violet
  • Alexis Rhodes, a main character in the anime series Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, voiced by Priscilla Everett and Emlyn Morinelli McFarland
  • Alexis Thi Dang, in the Transformers Unicron Trilogy, voiced by Tabitha St. Germain
  • Alexis Zorbas, the protagonist of Zorba the Greek
  • Alexis Rose, played by Annie Murphy on the Canadian sitcom Schitt's Creek
  • Alexis the Giraffe from Jim Henson's Animal Show, a female giraffe guest voiced by Karen Prell

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Hanks, Patrick; Hardcastle, Kate; Hodges, Flavia (2006). A Dictionary of First Names. Oxford paperback reference. Oxford University Press. p. 52. ISBN 978-0-19-861060-1. OCLC 67869278. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
  2. ^ Lansky, p. 16
  3. ^ Helsingin Sanomat, October 16, 2007.Aino and Eetu top list of most popular children's names. Retrieved February 10, 2008.
  4. ^ Rosenkrantz, Linda, and Satran, Pamela Redmond (2008). Cool Names for Babies. St. Martin's Griffin. ISBN 978-0-312-37786-1, p. 21

References

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