Alexa is a short form of Alexandra, the feminine of the Greek Alexander, meaning "defender of mankind". For decades it was a stylish favorite, but after Amazon launched its voice assistant of the same name in 2014, parents turned away fast. In the United States Alexa ranked number 87 in 2000 and peaked at number 32 in 2015; it then fell to number 230 in 2020, number 806 in 2024 and number 1029 in 2025, out of the top 1000 for the first time this century.