Alexis

[əˈlɛksɪs]

Meaning

from the greek name Ἄλεξις (Alexis), meaning "helper" or "defender"

Background Story

Alexis comes from the Greek name Ἄλεξις, derived from ἀλέξω, "to defend, to help". It was the name of a 3rd-century BC Greek comic poet and of several saints, and is used somewhat interchangeably with the related Ἀλέξιος or Alexius, borne by five Byzantine emperors. In the English-speaking world it is more commonly given to girls, due to the American actress Alexis Smith, who began appearing in movies in the early 1940s, and it got a boost in popularity in the 1980s from a character on the soap opera Dynasty.