# Sasha (name)

Sasha is a name which originated among Slavic peoples from Eastern and Southern Europe as the shortened version of Alexander and Alexandra. It is also used as a surname, although very rarely. Alternative spellings include: Саша (Sasha – Belarusian, Russian, Serbo-Croatian, Ukrainian), Сашо (Sasho – Bulgarian), Саше (Sashe – Macedonian), Saša (Slovenian, Serbo-Croatian, Czech, Slovak, Latvian, Lithuanian), Sasza (Polish), Sașa (Romanian), Sacha (French), Sascha (German), Sascia (Italian), Sasja (Danish and Swedish) and סשה (Sasha – Hebrew).

## Usage

This name is especially common in Europe, where it is used by both females and males as a diminutive of Alexandra and Alexander, respectively. Despite its popularity in informal usage, the name is rarely recorded on birth certificates in countries such as Belarus, the Czech Republic, Russia, Slovakia, and Ukraine, as it is considered a diminutive, not a formal name. Exceptions are Croatia, Germany, Serbia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Switzerland.
In Italy or in French-speaking regions (Belgium, France, and Quebec), Sacha is more often given to males. In the United States the name is almost exclusively used for girls and ranked number 569 among U.S. baby names in 2014, although it didn't gain popularity until the 1970s.

## Notable people bearing this name

| Full Name | First Name Spelling | Surname | Years | Notability |
| Sasha Alexander | Sasha | Alexander | 1973– | American actress |
| Sasha Allen | Sasha | Allen | 1982– | American singer and actress |
| Sasha Andrews | Sasha | Andrews | 1983– | Canadian football defender |
| Saša Antunović | Saša | Antunović | 1974– | Serbian footballer |
| Sasha Argov | Sasha | Argov | 1914–1995 | Russian-born Israeli composer |
| Sasha Artemev | Sasha | Artemev | 1985– | American gymnast |
| Sasha Banks | Sasha | Banks | 1992– | American wrestler (WWE) |
| Sacha Baron Cohen | Sacha | Baron Cohen | 1971– | British actor and comedian of Ali G, Borat, and Brüno fame |
| Aleksander ''Sasha'' Barkov | Sasha | Barkov | 1995– | Finnish hockey player |
| Sasha Barrese | Sasha | Barrese | 1981– | American actress |
| Sacha Bennett | Sacha | Bennett | 1971– | British Film-maker |
| Sascha Bilay | Sascha | Bilay | 1979– | German politician |
| Saša Bjelanović | Saša | Bjelanović | 1979– | Croatian football player |
| Saša Bogunović | Saša | Bogunović | 1982– | Serbian football player |
| Sacha Boisvert | Sacha | Boisvert | 2006– | Canadian ice hockey player |
| Sasha Calle | Sasha | Calle | 1995- | American actress |
| Sasha Chorny | Sasha | Chorny | 1880–1932 | Russian poet |
| Saša Cilinšek | Saša | Cilinšek | 1982– | Serbian football player |
| Saša Ćirić | Saša | Ćirić | 1968– | Football player from the Republic of Macedonia, of Serbian origin |
| Sasha Cohen | Sasha | Cohen | 1984– | American Olympic figure skater |
| Sasha Cooke | Sasha | Cooke | | American mezzo-soprano |
| Saša Ćurčić | Saša | Ćurčić | 1972– | Serbian former football midfielder |
| Sasha De Sola | Sasha | De Sola | 1988– | American ballet dancer |
| Sacha Dhawan | Sacha | Dhawan | 1984– | British actor |
| Sascha Dikiciyan | Sascha | Dikiciyan | 1970– | German musician, known as Sonic Mayhem |
| Sacha Distel | Sacha | Distel | 1933–2004 | French singer |
| Sasha Dobson | Sasha | Dobson | 1979– | American jazz singer |
| Saša Đorđević | Saša | Đorđević | 1981– | Serbian footballer |
| Saša Đorđević | Aleksandar Saša | Đorđević | 1967– | Serbian basketball player and coach |
| Saša Dragin | Saša | Dragin | 1972– | Minister in Serbia |
| Saša Drakulić | Saša | Drakulić | 1972– | Serbian footballer |
| Sasha Farber | Sasha | Farber | 1984– | Soviet-born Australian-American dancer |
| Sacha Fenestraz | Sacha | Fenestraz | 1999– | French racing driver |
| Sasha Filipenko | Sasha | Filipenko | 1984– | Belarusian writer |
| Sasha Gabor | Sasha | Gabor | 1945–2008 | Norwegian pornographic film director and actor |
| Saša Gajser | Saša | Gajser | 1974– | Slovenian footballer |
| Saša Gedeon | Saša | Gedeon | 1970– | Czech director |
| Sascha Gerstner | Sascha | Gerstner | 1977– | Guitarist of the power metal band Helloween |
| Sasha Gollish | Sasha | Gollish | 1981– | Canadian competitive runner |
| Sasha Gradiva | Sasha | Gradiva | 1979– | Russian singer |
| Sasha Grey | Sasha | Grey | 1988– | American pornographic actress |
| Sacha Guitry | Sacha | Guitry | 1885–1957 | French actor and playwright |
| Sascha Hehn | Sascha | Hehn | 1954– | German actor |
| Sasha Hostyn | Sasha | Hostyn | 1993– | Canadian professional video game player |
| Saša Ilić | Saša | Ilić | 1970– | Macedonian football goalkeeper |
| Saša Ilić | Saša | Ilić | 1972– | Serbian-Australian football goalkeeper |
| Saša Ilić | Saša | Ilić | 1977– | Serbian football midfielder |
| Saša Imprić | Saša | Imprić | 1986– | Croatian swimmer |
| Sasha Issenberg | Sasha | Issenberg | | American journalist |
| Saša Ivanović | Saša | Ivanović | 1984– | Montenegrin football goalkeeper |
| Saša Kajkut | Saša | Kajkut | 1984– | Bosnian football player |
| Sasha Kaun | Sasha | Kaun | 1985– | Russian basketball player |
| Sacha Killeya-Jones | Sacha | Killeya-Jones | 1998– | American-British basketball player for Hapoel Gilboa Galil of the Israeli Basketball Premier League |
| Sascha Kindred | Sascha | Kindred | 1977– | British Paralympic swimmer |
| Sacha Kljestan | Sacha | Kljestan | 1985– | American footballer |
| Sascha Klein | Sascha | Klein | 1985– | German Olympic diver |
| Saša Kocić | Saša | Kocić | 1976– | Serbian football player |
| Alexander Kolowrat | Alexander "Sascha" | Kolowrat | 1886–1927 | American-born Austrian film producer of Bohemian (Czech) descent |
| Sasha Kolpakov | Sasha | Kolpakov | 1943– | Russian musician |
| Sascha Konietzko | Sascha | Konietzko | 1961– | German musician, founder/frontman of Industrial band KMFDM |
| Saša Kovačević (footballer) | Saša | Kovačević | 1973– | Serbian international footballer |
| Sasha Kropotkin | Sasha | Kropotkin | 1887–1966 | Russian-American émigré and writer |
| Sasha Lane | Sasha | Lane | 1995– | American actress |
| Sasha Lazard | Sasha | Lazard | | American singer |
| Saša Lošić | Saša | Lošić | 1964– | Yugoslavian composer |
| Saša Lozar | Saša | Lozar | 1980– | Croatian pop singer of the former boy band Saša, Tin i Kedžo |
| Sasha Luss | Sasha | Luss | 1992– | Russian model and actress |
| Sasha Mäkilä | Sasha | Mäkilä | 1973– | Finnish conductor and musician |
| Saša Matić | Saša | Matić | 1978– | Bosnian Serb singer |
| Sacha McMeeking | Sacha | McMeeking | 1978/9– | New Zealand academic, lawyer and activist |
| Sasha Meneghel | Sasha | Meneghel | 1998– | Model, actress and volleyball player |
| Sasha Mitchell | Sasha | Mitchell | 1967– | American actor, famous for his role in the TV series Step By Step |
| Sasha Montenegro | Sasha | Montenegro | 1946– | Mexican actress |
| Sasha Obama | Sasha | Obama | 2001– | The younger daughter of U.S. President Barack Obama |
| Saša Obradović | Saša | Obradović | 1969– | Serbian basketball player |
| Sasha P | Sasha | P | 1983– | Nigerian musician (real name Anthonia Yetunde Alabi) |
| Saša Papac | Saša | Papac | 1980– | Bosnia and Herzegovina association footballer |
| Sacha Parkinson | Sacha | Parkinson | 1992– | English actress |
| Sasha Pavlović | Sasha | Pavlović | 1983– | NBA basketball player |
| Saša Peršon | Saša | Peršon | 1965– | Croatian footballer |
| Saša Petričić | Saša | Petričić | 1963– | Serbian Canadian journalist |
| Sasha Pieterse | Sasha | Pieterse | 1996– | American actress |
| Sasha Pivovarova | Sasha | Pivovarova | 1985– | Russian model |
| Sascha Pohflepp | Sascha | Pohflepp | 1978–2019 | German artist and writer |
| Sascha Radetsky | Sascha | Radetsky | 1977– | American ballet dancer and actor |
| Saša Radivojević | Saša | Radivojević | 1979– | Serbian football goalkeeper |
| Saša Rakezić | Saša | Rakezić | 1963– | Serbian cartoonist |
| Saša Ranić | Saša | Ranić | 1981– | Slovenian footballer |
| Sascha Riether | Sascha | Riether | 1983– | German footballer |
| Sasha Roiz | Sasha | Roiz | 1973– | Canadian actor |
| Sacha Sacket | Sacha | Sacket | 1978– | Singer-songwriter from California |
| Alexander "Sasha" Shulgin | Alexander "Sasha" | Shulgin | 1925–2014 | American chemist |
| Saša Simonović | Saša | Simonović | 1975– | Serbian footballer |
| Sasha Skenderija | Sasha | Skenderija | 1968– | Bosnian-American poet |
| Sasha Sökol | Sasha | Sökol | 1970– | Mexican actress and singer |
| Saša Stamenković | Saša | Stamenković | 1985– | Serbian football goalkeeper |
| Sasha Tirupati | Sasha | Tirupati | 1989– | Indian-Canadian singer |
| Saša Todić | Saša | Todić | 1974– | Serbian football goalkeeper |
| Saša Toperić | Saša | Toperić | 1972– | Bosnian Israeli concert pianist |
| Sacha Alexandre Trudeau | "Sacha" Alexandre | Trudeau | 1973– | Canadian filmmaker and journalist, son of Pierre Trudeau |
| Sacha Visagie | Sacha | Visagie | – | Canadian singer and songwriter |
| Saša Vasiljević | Saša | Vasiljević | 1979– | Bosnian basketball player |
| Saša Viciknez | Saša | Viciknez | 1974– | Serbian footballer |
| Sasha Victorine | Sasha | Victorine | 1978– | American football player |
| Saša Vlaisavljević | Saša | Vlaisavljević | 1968– | Serbian engineer, business executive, and politician |
| Sasha Vujačić | Sasha | Vujačić | 1984– | Slovenian basketball player |
| Sasha Williams | Sasha | Williams | 1982– | Canadian actress |
| Saša Živec | Saša | Živec | 1991– | Slovenian footballer |
| Sascha Zverev | Alexander "Sascha" | Zverev | 1997– | German tennis player |

### Codenames, stage personas, and alter egos

* Sasha (espionage), an alleged Soviet mole in the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency during the Cold War
* Sasha (DJ) (born 1969), born Alexander Coe
* Sasha (Jamaican musician) (born 1974), born Christine Chin
* Sasha (German singer) (born 1972), born Sascha Schmitz
* Sasha Banks (born 1992), American professional wrestler
* Sasha Fierce, the alter ego of Beyoncé (born 1981)
* Sasha Alex Sloan (born 1995), born Alexandra Artourovna Yatchenko
* Sasha Velour (born 1987), famous drag queen best known for appearing on RuPaul's Drag Race (season 9); born Alexander Hedges Steinberg

## Animals

* Sasha (dog) (2004–2008), a Labrador dog that served in the British Army
* Galianora sacha (G. sacha), Ecuadorian jumping spider

## Fictitious or mythical entities
### Legend, myth, and religion

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

### Fictional animals and creatures

* Sasha, a character from the movie, Help! I'm a Fish
* Sasha, bird character from Walt Disney's Peter and the Wolf (1946 film)
* Sasha, cat from the book series Warriors by Erin Hunter
* Sacha, desman (water mole) in the animated television program Noah's Island
* Sasha La Fleur, a character from the movie All Dogs Go to Heaven 2, the television series All Dogs Go to Heaven: The Series, and An All Dogs Christmas Carol
* Sasha (Vampire), a character from the Twilight book and film series
* Sasha, a rabbit villager in the video game Animal Crossing: New Horizons

### Fictional people
#### By surname

* Sasha Antonov, a character from the 2014 Canadian television series Bitten
* Sasha Barbicon, the owner of an art gallery from the game Titanic: Adventure Out of Time
* Sasha Belov, character from the TV show Make It or Break It
* Sasha Bezmel, character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away
* Sash Bishop, character from the Irish soap opera Fair City
* Sasha Bordeaux, DC Comics character, former ally of Batman
* Sasha Braus, character from the anime/manga series Attack on Titan
* Saša Bůčková, character from Czech sitcom Comeback
* Sasha Dixon, character in the British soap opera EastEnders
* Alexander "Sasha" Nikolaevich Hell, the protagonist of The Qwaser of Stigmata
* Sasha James, a character from the horror podcast "The Magnus Archives"
* Sascha König, character from the television drama Inspector Rex, episode 8x13
* Sasha Kreutzev, character from the anime/novel series A Certain Magical Index (Toaru Majutsu no Index)
* Sacha Levy, AAU Registrar in the British medical drama series Holby City
* Sasha Nein, powerful Psychonaut and instructor from the game Psychonauts
* Sasha Perkins, character in the British soap opera EastEnders
* Sascha Petrosevitch, character from the 2002 film Half Past Dead
* Sasha Thompson, leader of the Mad Dogs and a target in CHERUB book Mad Dogs
* Sasha Valentine, character in the British soap opera Hollyoaks
* Sasha Waybright, from the American animated series Amphibia
* Sasha Williams (The Walking Dead), Tyreese's sharpshooter sister on The Walking Dead TV series

#### Surnameless people

* Sasha, Russian pilot in the 2009 movie 2012 (film)
* Sasha, Ted Mundy's absolute friend in John le Carré's espionage novel Absolute Friends (2003)
* Sasha, commanding officer from the game Advance Wars: Dual Strike
* Sasha, romantic love interest of Ginger in Nickelodeon's As Told by Ginger
* Sascha, a reaper in the manga Black Butler by Yana Toboso
* Sasha, character from the Bratz line of fashion dolls, see List of Bratz characters
* Sascha, the Russian bartender at Rick's Café Américain, played by Leonid Kinskey in Casablanca (1942)
* Sasha, the enigmatic female hacker from the film Cube 2: Hypercube (2003)
* Sasha, the leader of The Reapers gang in Infamous (video game)
* Sasha, the character from the film The Last Station (2009)
* Sasha, the Muscovite princess in the novel Orlando: A Biography by Virginia Woolf
* Sasha, the character from the Japanese manga Pita-Ten
* Sasha, the reincarnation of Athena in the manga Saint Seiya: The Lost Canvas
* Sasha, character from Adult Swim's Titan Maximum
* Captain Sasha from the Ratchet & Clank series
* Sweet Sasha, a doll from Ty Girlz
* Sasha, an adolescent schoolgirl from the 2023 Barbie movie
* Sascha … ein aufrechter Deutscher, subject and title of a Tote Hosen song

### Inanimate objects

* Sasha is the name Heavy gives to his minigun in the game Team Fortress 2.
* The singer Lizzo named her flute Sasha.

## Similar names

Similar names in various languages include:
* Albanian: Dasha, Vasha
* Danish: Sasja
* Dutch: Saskia
* English: Sasha
* French: Sacha
* Georgian: Lasha
* German: Sascha
* Hindi: Asha, Sashi, Shashi, Shikha
* Macedonian: Sashka, Sasho
* Nepali: Asha, Aasha, Sashi
* Persian: Pasha, Rasha
* Portuguese: Sancha
* Russian: Саша, Sashka
* Ukrainian: Sashko
* Serbo-Croatian: Saša (Safiha / Sabiha in Bosnian)
* Slovak: Saša, Saška
* Slovenian: Saša
* Spanish: Sancha
* Swedish: Sassa
* Swiss: Sascha
* Thai: Sasicha
* Turkish: Saliha, Sabiha