Aleksei is of Russian origin, meaning 'defender of mankind' or 'helper'. It is derived from the Greek word 'Alexios', which was brought to Russia by the Byzantine Empire. Aleksei has been a popular choice among Russians for centuries and continues to be so today. The name has several variants, including Alexei, Aleksej, and even Alex in other languages. Notable figures with this name include Aleksei Navalny, a Russian political activist, and Aleksei Yashin, a former NHL hockey player.
The name Aleksei experienced fluctuations in popularity over the years, with a peak of 25 births in 2001 and a significant drop to just 6 births in 2002. Since then, it has generally maintained moderate popularity, fluctuating between single digits and low teens annually, until a recent uptick starting from 2019. Over the entire period from 1994 to 2023, there were a total of 427 babies named Aleksei.