UK boy's name
Iskander
A variant of the name Alexander, of Greek origin meaning "defender of men".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2020. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Iskander is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Iskander popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2020 in this profile. In that release it ranked #4608, with 3 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2006, with 4 births.
This profile covers 7 England and Wales registrations across 2 recorded years from 2006 to 2020. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 75% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 7 living people in the UK are called Iskander. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2021 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Iskander ranked #4608 for boys in England and Wales in 2020, with 3 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2006, when 4 boys were registered as Iskander.
- • About 7 living people in the UK are estimated to have Iskander as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#4608
2020
Births in 2020
3
Latest year
Peak year
2006
4 births
Estimated living
7
2026
Meaning
What does Iskander mean?
The name Iskander has its origins in the ancient Greek name Ἀλέξανδρος (Alexandros), which is derived from the Greek elements ἀλέξω (alexo) meaning "to defend" and ἀνήρ (aner) meaning "man". It is closely associated with Alexander the Great, the famous Macedonian king and military commander who conquered much of the ancient world in the 4th century BC.
Iskander is the Persian and Arabic form of the name Alexander, which was adopted and popularized in the Middle East and Central Asia during the reign of Alexander the Great and the subsequent spread of Hellenistic culture throughout the region. The name has been used in various forms in Persian, Arabic, Turkish, and other languages influenced by the Persianate world.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Iskander can be found in the Shahnameh, the epic Persian poem written by Ferdowsi in the late 10th and early 11th centuries. The poem includes a section dedicated to the life and conquests of Alexander the Great, known as Iskander-e Zabardast (Iskander the Mighty).
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Iskander. One of the most famous was Iskander Mirza (1384-1411), a Timurid prince and ruler of Persia and parts of Central Asia. Another was Iskander Shah (1516-1534), the second ruler of the Sur Empire in northern India.
In the Ottoman Empire, Iskander Beg (1592-1631) was a renowned Ottoman statesman and grand vizier, while Iskander Pasha (1819-1876) was a prominent Ottoman general and governor of several provinces. Iskander Khan (1781-1857) was a notable ruler of the Principality of Nakhchivan, now part of modern-day Azerbaijan.
Other notable figures with the name Iskander include Iskander Khayrov (1900-1986), a prominent Soviet Uzbek writer and playwright, and Iskander Kaziev (1924-1992), a Soviet Chechen writer and poet.
Throughout its long history, the name Iskander has maintained its connection to the legacy of Alexander the Great, while also taking on various cultural and regional connotations in the diverse societies it has been adopted into.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Iskander over time
The chart below shows babies named Iskander registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 2006 to 2020. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Iskander, the clearest high point is 2006. The latest England and Wales figure is 3 births in 2020, compared with 4 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Iskander by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Iskander was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #4608 | 3 | 1 |
| 2000s | #3385 | 4 | 1 |
Related
Names similar to Iskander
- Isaac 49,129
- Ibrahim 14,115
- Ismail 4,679
- Isaiah 4,629
- Idris 3,810
- Ivan 3,146
- Isa 2,943
- Ian 2,805
- Ilyas 2,552
- Ieuan 2,515
- Ibraheem 2,384
- Ioan 2,295
FAQ
Iskander: questions and answers
How popular is the name Iskander in the UK right now?
In 2020, Iskander was ranked #4608 for boys in England and Wales, with 3 births registered.
When was Iskander most popular?
The peak year on record was 2006, with 4 babies registered as Iskander in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Iskander?
A variant of the name Alexander, of Greek origin meaning "defender of men".
How many people are called Iskander in the UK?
A total of 7 babies have been registered as Iskander across the 2 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.