Sasha is the Russian pet form of Alexander and Alexandra and so means "defender of the people", from the Greek alexein, to defend, and laos, people. In Russia it is used for boys and girls alike; in the United States it is mostly a girls' name, worn by Sasha Obama among others. Sasha ranked number 476 in 2000, peaked at number 262 in 2009 and has eased back to number 684 in 2025.