Sasha (name)

Sasha
Pronunciation /ˈsæʃə/ sash-ə
/ˈsɑːʃə/ sah-shə
Gender unisex
Origin
Word/Name Slavic/Greek
Meaning defender, helper of mankind
Other names
Related names Alexandra, Alexander, Saša, Sascha, Sacha, Sasza, Sashko

Sasha is a female and male given name. It originated in countries of Central, Eastern and Southern Europe as a diminutive of Alexander and Alexandra. It is also found as a surname, although this is very rare. Alternative spellings include: Саша (Russian), Саше (Macedonian), Saša (Slovenian, Serbian, Croatian, Czech, Slovak, Lithuanian), Sasza (Polish), Сашко (Ukrainian), Sascha (German), Sasja (Dutch and Swedish), and Sacha (French).

This name is especially common in Europe where it is used primarily by males as a diminutive of Alexander, although females may also use it as a diminutive of Alexandra. Despite its popularity in informal usage, the name is rarely recorded on birth certificates in countries such as Russia, Ukraine, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia, as it is considered a diminutive and not a formal name. Exceptions are Serbia and Croatia.

In Germany, the civil registry offices allow the inscription of Sascha in birth certificates as a formal name but only for boys.

In other countries, it is given predominantly to females. In the United States the name is almost exclusively used for girls, at number 369 in the ranking of U.S. baby names, although it didn't gain popularity until the 1970s.

In the early period of Zionism, the name was common among male Jews in Ottoman- and British-ruled Palestine, reflecting the East European origin of many pioneers. It became less common in 1950s and 1960s Israel, but revived with the new waves of immigration from the Soviet Union in the 1970s and the larger wave of the 1990s.

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Notable bearers of this name

Fictional Sashas

Mythical

Other

References