Sasha (name)

Sasha

Pronunciation	SASH-ə, SAH-shə
Gender	unisex
Origin
Word/name	Slavic
Meaning	defender, helper of mankind
Other names
Related names	Alexandra, Alexander, Saša, Sascha, Sacha, Sasza, Sashko

Sasha is a female and male given name. It originated in countries of Central,Eastern and Southern Europe as a diminutive of Alexander and Alexandra. It is also found as a surname, although this is very rare. Alternative spellings include: Saša (Slovenian, Serbian, Croatian, Czech, Slovak, Lithuanian), Sasza (Polish), Sashko (Ukrainian), Sascha (German), Sasja (Dutch), and Sacha (French).

This name is especially common in Eastern Europe where it is used primarily by males, although females may also use it as a diminutive of Alexandra. Despite its popularity in informal usage, the name is rarely recorded on birth certificates in countries such as Russia, Ukraine, the Czech Republic, Poland, and Slovakia, as it is considered a diminutive and not a formal name. Exceptions are Serbia and Croatia.

In Germany, the civil registry offices allow the inscription of Sascha in birth certificates as a formal name but only for boys.

In other countries, it is given predominantly to females. In the United States the name is almost exclusively used for girls, at number 369 in the ranking of U.S. baby names, although it didn't gain popularity until the 1970s.

In the early period of Zionism, the name was common among male Jews in Ottoman- and British-ruled Palestine, reflecting the East European origin of many pioneers. It became less common in 1950s and 1960s Israel, but revived with the new waves of immigration from the Soviet Union in the 1970s and the larger wave of the 1990s.

Notable bearers of this name

• Sasha Alexander, Serbian-American actress
• Sasha-Alexandre, American writer, filmmaker, director
• Sasha Andrews, Canadian football (soccer) defender
• Saša Antunović, Serbian footballer
• Sasha Artemev, American gymnast
• Sacha Dean Biyan, noted American fashion photographer
• Saša Bjelanović, Croatian footballer
• Saša Bogunović, Serbian footballer
• Saša Cilinšek, Serbian footballer
• Saša Ćetković, Serbian footballer
• Sasha Cherny, Russian poet
• Saša Ćirić, a football player from the Republic of Macedonia of Serbian origin
• Sasha Cohen, American Olympic figure skater
• Sacha Baron Cohen, British actor and comedian of Ali G, Borat, and Brüno fame
• Saša Ćurčić, a Serbian former football midfielder.
• Sacha Distel, French singer
• Saša Dragičević, Bosnian footballer
• Saša Dragin, Minister in Serbia
• Saša Drakulić, Serbian footballer
• Saša Đorđević (footballer)
• Sasha Gabor, Norwegian pornographic actor
• Saša Gajser, Slovenian footballer
• Saša Gedeon, Czech director
• Sasha Grey, American pornographic actress
• Sacha Guitry, French actor and playwright
• Saša Ilić (footballer born 1977), Serbian football midfielder
• Saša Ilić (footballer born 1972), Serbian-Australian football goalkeeper
• Saša Ilić (Macedonian footballer), (1970-), Macedonian football goalkeeper
• Saša Imprić, Croatian swimmer
• Saša Ivanović, Montenegrin football goalkeeper
• Saša Lošić, Yugoslavian composer
• Saša Kajkut, a Bosnian football player
• Sasha Kaun, Basketball player
• Sacha Kljestan, MLS Footballer for Chivas USA
• Saša Kocić, a Serbian fooballer player
• Sasha Kolpakov, Russian musician
• Sascha Konietzko, German musician, founder/frontman of Industrial band KMFDM
• Saša Kovačević, a Serbian international footballer
• Saša Lozar, Croatian pop singer
• Saša Matić, Bosnian Serb singer
• Sasha Mitchell, American actor, famous for his role in the TV series Step By Step
• Sasha Montenegro, Mexican actress
• Sasha Obama, US President, Barack Obama's second daughter, see Malia Ann Obama and Sasha Obama
• Saša Obradović, Serbian basketball player
• Saša Papac, a Bosnia and Herzegovina association footballer
• Aleksandar Pavlović, nicknamed Sasha Pavlović, NBA player for Cleveland Cavaliers
• Saša Peršon, Croatian footballer
• Saša Petricic, Serbian Canadian journalist
• Sasha Pieterse, American actress
• Sasha Pivovarova, Russian supermodel
• Sascha Radetsky, American ballet dancer and actor
• Saša Radivojević, a Serbian football goalkeeper
• Saša Ranić, Slovenian footballer
• Sasha Roiz, Canadian actor
• Sacha Sacket, Singer-Songwriter from California
• Sascha Schmitz, German singer
• Saša Simonović, a Serbia footballer
• Sasha Skenderija, Bosnian-American poet
• Sasha Sökol, Mexican actress and singer
• Saša Stamenković, a Serbian football goalkeeper
• Saša Todić, a Serbian football goalkeeper
• Saša Toperić, Bosnian Israeli concert pianist
• Saša Vasiljević, Bosnian basketball player
• Saša Viciknez, a Serbian footballer
• Sasha Victorine, MLS Footballer for Kansas City Wizards
• Saša Vlaisavljević, a Serbian engineer, business executive, and politician
• Sasha Vujačić, NBA player (L.A. Lakers) shooting and point guard
• Sasha (espionage), an alleged Soviet mole in the Central Intelligence Agency during the Cold War
• Sasha (DJ), Welsh DJ (real name Alexander Coe)
• Sasha (deejay), Jamaican DJ

Fictional Sasha

• Saša Bůčková, character from Czech sitcom Comeback
• Sasha, the leader of The Reapers gang in the videogame Infamous
• Sasha Fierce, Beyoncé Knowles's alter ego
• Sasha, the name of John Dorian's scooter in the television sitcom Scrubs, see J.D. (Scrubs)#Transportation
• Sasha, the name of Heavy Weapon Guy's gun in Team Fortress 2, see Team Fortress 2#Classes
• Sasha, a Commanding Officer from the game Advance Wars: Dual Strike
• Sasha, character from the Bratz line of fashion dolls, see List of Bratz characters
• Sasha, enigmatic female hacker from movie Cube 2: Hypercube
• Sasha Thompson, leader of the Mad Dogs and a target in CHERUB book Mad Dogs
• Sasha, Ted Mundy's absolute friend in "The Absolute Friends" a spy novel by John Le Carre
• Sasha, bird character from Walt Disney's 1946 film Peter and the Wolf
• Sasha, romantic interest of Ginger in Nickelodeon's As Told by Ginger
• Sasha, character from the Japanese manga Pita-Ten
• Sasha, a character from Adult Swim's Titan Maximum
• Sasha, a character from the film The Last Station
• Sasha, cat from the book series Warriors by Erin Hunter, see List of Characters outside Clans (Warriors)#Sasha
• Sasha Nein, a powerful Psychonaut and instructor from the game Psychonauts
• Sasha, a Pilot of Yuri, a Russian Billionaire, from the movie 2012 (film)
• Sasha Bordeaux, a DC Comics character; former ally of Batman, and currently the Black Queen of Checkmate

Mythical

• Sasha and Zamani, spirits, two stages of time in Eastern and Central African cultures

Other

• "Sascha ...ein aufrechter Deutscher", a song by Die Toten Hosen from the album Kauf MICH!

References

• The Name Machine
• Behind the Name
• More info on Think Baby Names
• WikiName - All About Names