Sasha

If you’re looking for a gender-neutral baby name for a boy that’s short and sweet, consider Sasha. While it’s a more popular choice for girls in the United States, the name is used for boys in much of the rest of the world, especially in Russian-speaking countries. Sasha is the diminutive for the Russian name Aleksandr (which is itself a version of the Greek Alexander) and means "defender of mankind." In addition to the s-heavy spelling, common variants include Sacha and Sascha.

As a boys’ name, Sasha has yet to crack the Social Security Administration’s Top 1000 baby names list, making it a seriously standout choice for parents-to-be who want a baby boy name that’s recognizable but not too common. In contrast, as a girl name Sasha has been in the Top 1000 ever since 1972 (when it was ranked 867) and hit peak popularity in 1988 with a ranking of number 147.

When it comes to famous fellows named Sasha, many people think of actor and comic
Sacha Baron Cohen; other notable men named Sasha include ‘Step by Step’ actor Sasha Mitchell and former professional basketball players Sasha Vujacic and Sasha Pavlovic. Sasha has also become something of a favorite for celebrity offspring: Naomi Watts and Liv Schreiber, Chris Hemsworth and Elsa Pataky, and Shakira and Gerard Piqué all have sons named Sasha.