The name Alessandra is of Italian origin and means "defending men" or "protecting mankind". It is derived from the male name Alessandro, which is ultimately based on Alexander, a Greek name meaning "defender of mankind".
Alessandra has been used as a female given name since at least the Renaissance period in Italy. It was popular among Italian nobles and can be found in historical records dating back to the 15th century. Some notable figures named Alessandra include Alessandra di Tommaso, an Italian painter active during the early Renaissance, and Alessandra Mussolini, the Italian politician and actress who is a granddaughter of Benito Mussolini.
The name Alessandra has also been used by non-Italian speakers in recent years, particularly among English-speaking countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom. Its popularity may be due in part to its exotic sound and its association with famous historical figures like Alexander the Great.
The statistics provided show the number of births for the name Allesandra in the United States each year from 1985 to 2016. Over this period, there was a total of 166 babies named Allesandra born in the US.
Looking at the yearly data, we can see that the number of births varied over time. The earliest years with recorded births for this name are 1985 and 1988, with five births each year. After a gap in reporting from 1989 to 1993, the name reappears in 1994 with six births.
From 1994 onwards, there were consistently between five to ten births per year for Allesandra until reaching a peak of fifteen births in 2011. This suggests that the popularity of this name has been steadily growing over time.
However, after 2011, we see a decline in the number of births with the name Allesandra, dropping from fifteen in 2011 to five or six births per year between 2012 and 2016. This indicates that while Allesandra was quite popular for a time, it may have since decreased in popularity.
Overall, these statistics demonstrate that the name Allesandra has had periods of both growth and decline in popularity over the past three decades in the United States.