NameCensus.

UK girl's name

Sandra

A feminine name of Greek origin meaning "defender of men".

For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.

Sandra is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Sandra popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #2771, with 9 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2012, with 76 births.

This profile covers 1,071 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, NRS Scotland and NISRA Northern Ireland, 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 12% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 2,222 living people in the UK are called Sandra. 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 2025 or 2026.

Key insights

  • Sandra ranked #2771 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 9 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 2012, when 76 girls were registered as Sandra.
  • Sandra ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #432 in 2017.
  • About 2,222 living people in the UK are estimated to have Sandra as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#2771

2024

Births in 2024

9

Latest year

Peak year

2012

76 births

Estimated living

2,222

2026

Meaning

What does Sandra mean?

The name Sandra has its origins in the Greek language and culture, dating back to ancient times. It is derived from the Greek name Alexandros, which was a compound of the words "alexo" meaning "to defend" and "andros" meaning "man." The feminine form of the name, Alexandra, eventually evolved into the modern name Sandra.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Sandra can be found in the New Testament of the Bible, where it appears as a variant spelling of Alexandra. In the Book of Acts, a woman named "Sandriah" is mentioned as a follower of Jesus Christ.

During the Middle Ages, the name Sandra was relatively uncommon, but it gained popularity in various European regions, particularly in Italy and Spain. In the 13th century, a notable figure named Sandra di Piandimezzo was a wealthy Italian noblewoman and patron of the arts.

In the 16th century, Sandra Botticelli (1555-1628) was an Italian painter and poet who gained recognition for her contributions to the Renaissance art movement. Her works often depicted religious and mythological themes, and she was praised for her skillful use of color and composition.

Another prominent figure from history who bore the name Sandra was Sandra de Acuña (1572-1630), a Spanish noblewoman and writer. She was known for her poetry and her involvement in literary circles during the Spanish Golden Age.

In the 19th century, Sandra Bunić (1819-1898) was a Croatian writer and poet who played a significant role in the Croatian national revival movement. Her works helped to preserve and promote the Croatian language and culture.

As the name Sandra continued to spread across various cultures and regions, it became more widely used and accepted. Some other notable individuals with the name Sandra throughout history include Sandra Cisneros (born 1954), an American writer and poet of Mexican descent, and Sandra Day O'Connor (born 1930), the first woman to serve on the United States Supreme Court.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Sandra over time

The chart below shows babies named Sandra registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.

For Sandra, the clearest high point is 2012. The latest England and Wales figure is 9 births in 2024, compared with 76 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Sandra
019385776199620102024

Decades

Sandra by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Sandra 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 #1754 92 5
2010s #855 487 10
2000s #783 398 10
1990s #969 94 4

Geography

Where Sandra is most common

The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Sandra. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.

Sandra ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #432 in 2017.

Northern Ireland
3
Scotland
3

Across the UK

Sandra in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Scotland (NRS)

#765 in 2020

39 years of NRS records, 1,158 total registered

Northern Ireland (NISRA)

#432 in 2017

8 years of NISRA records, 25 total registered

Notable bearers

Famous people named Sandra

  • Sandra Hyslop

    British canoeist

    1990-

  • Sandra Marie Lees

    beauty pageant contestant

    British beauty pageant contestant

    1985-

  • Sandra Huggett

    actor

    English actress

    1973-

  • Sandra Overend

    politician

    Northern Ireland politician (born 1973)

    1973-

  • Sandra Troop

    canoeist

    British canoeist

    1966-

  • Sandra Gregory

    writer; drug trafficker

    British drug trafficker

    1965-

  • Sandra Madgwick

    ballet dancer; dancer

    English ballerina

    1963-

  • Sandra Whittaker

    athletics competitor

    British athletics competitor

    1963-

Related

Names similar to Sandra

FAQ

Sandra: questions and answers

How popular is the name Sandra in the UK right now?

In 2024, Sandra was ranked #2771 for girls in England and Wales, with 9 births registered.

When was Sandra most popular?

The peak year on record was 2012, with 76 babies registered as Sandra in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Sandra?

A feminine name of Greek origin meaning "defender of men".

How many people are called Sandra in the UK?

A total of 1,071 babies have been registered as Sandra across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 1,158 more in Scotland and 25 in Northern Ireland.

Where is Sandra most common?

In the latest published local rankings, Sandra ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #432 in 2017. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.

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.