Alexey

Alexey ( ) is a Russian male given name derived from the Greek Aléxios (), meaning "Defender", and thus of the same origin as the Latin Alexius.

Similar Ukrainian and Belarusian names are romanized as Oleksii (Олексій) and Aliaksiej (Аляксей), respectively. Other Slavic variants include the Polish Aleksy and the Czech and Slovak Alexej. The Finnish variant is Aleksi.

The Russian Orthodox Church uses the ecclesiastical form, Alexiy or Aleksiy (; pre-1918: ), for its Saints and hierarchs (most notably, this is the form used for Patriarchs Alexius I and Alexius II). The name became fairly popular in Russia after the baptism of Michael of Russia's son, Alexis of Russia.

The common hypocoristic (diminutive) is Alyosha () or simply Lyosha (). These may be further transformed into Alyoshka, Alyoshenka, Lyoshka, Lyoha, Lyoshenka (, respectively), sometimes rendered as Alesha or Aleshenka in English. The form Alyosha may be used as a full first name in Bulgaria (Альоша) and Armenia.

In theory, Alexia is the female form. It is, however, almost non-existent in Russian-speaking countries, where names such as Alexandra or Olesya are more commonly used.

The corresponding patronymics are Alexeyevich (male) and Alexeyevna (female).

The following surnames derive from Alexey and its various forms: Alexeyev/Alekseyev Alexeyevsky Alyoshin Alyokhin (Alekhine, Alekhin) Lyoshin Alexeytsev/Alekseytsev/Alekseitsev Alexeychuk/Alekseychuk/Alekseichuk Alexeychik/Alekseychik/Alekseichik Alexeyuk/Alekseyuk Alexeyenko/Alekseyenko/Alekseenko Alexeychenko/Alekseychenko/Alekseichenko Alexievich

People with the given name include:

Royalty and historical figures Alexis of Russia (1629–1676), Tsar of Russia from 1645 to 1676 Alexei Petrovich, Tsarevich of Russia (1690–1718), son of Peter I the Great Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich of Russia (1850–1908), son of Tsar Alexander II Grand Duke Alexei Mikhailovich of Russia (1875–1895), grandson of Tsar Nicholas I Alexei Nikolaevich, Tsarevich of Russia (1904–1918), son of Nicholas II, the last Tsesarevich Prince Alexey Lvov (1580s–1653/1654), Russian boyar and diplomat Alexei Razumovsky (1709–1771), Cossack count and lover of Empress Elizabeth Alexei Tammet-Romanov (died 1977), Estonian royal pretender Aleksey Okhotnikov (1780–1807), Lover of Empress Elizabeth

Television and film

Aleksei Balabanov (1959–2013), Russian filmmaker Alexey Barabash (born 1977), Russian actor Aleksey Bardukov (born 1984), Russian actor Aleksey Batalov (1927–2017), Soviet and Russian actor Alexey Borzunov (1943–2013) Soviet Russian actor Aleksey Buldakov (1951–2019), Russian actor Aleksey Chadov (born 1981), Russian actor Alexey Chupov (born 1973), Russian film director Alexey Eybozhenko (1934–1980), Soviet actor Aleksey Fedorchenko (born 1966), Russian film director Aleksei Fomkin (1969–1996), Soviet actor Alexei Fridman, full name of Lex Fridman (born 1983), American podcast host Alexey Gavrilov (born 1983), Russian actor Alexey Gerasimov (animator), creator of Skibidi Toilet Aleksei Alekseivich German (born 1976), Russian film director Alexey Gribov (born 1977), Soviet actor Aleksei Guskov (born 1958), Russian producer Aleksei Kapler (1903–1979), Soviet filmmaker Aleksey Konsovsky (1912–1991), Soviet actor Aleksei Kravchenko (actor) (born 1969), Russian actor Aleksei Loktev (1939–2006), Soviet actor Alexey Lushnikov (born 1966), Russian talk show host Alexey Lyaporov (born 1979), Russian television comedy producer Alexey Lysenkov (born 1965), Russian television presenter Alexei Makarov (born 1972), Russian actor Aleksei Maklakov (born 1961), Russian actor Aleksey Mikhalyov (translator) (1944–1994), Russian television dubber Aleksey Morozov (actor) (born 1979), Russian actor and director Alexey Neymyshev (born 1982), Russian actor Alexey Nilov (born 1964), Russian actor Aleksey Nuzhnyy (born 1984), Russian filmmaker Aleksei Panin (born 1977), Russian actor Aleksei Petrenko (1938–2017), Soviet actor Aleksey Pimanov (1962–2026), Russian television presenter and director Alexey Pokrovsky (1924–2009), Soviet actor Aleksei Poluyan (1965–2010), Russian actor Alexei Popogrebski (born 1972), Russian director Aleksey Popov (director) (1892–1961), Russian film director Alexey Popov (journalist) (born 1974), Russian television commentator Aleksei Rodionov (cinematographer) (born 1947), Russian cinematographer Aleksey Rozin (born 1978), Russian actor Alexey Saltykov (director) (1934–1993), Soviet director Aleksey Shevchenkov (born 1974), Russian actor Aleksei Shvachko (1901–1988), Ukrainian film-director Aleksey Sidorov (born 1968), Russian director Aleksei Smirnov (actor) (1920–1979), Soviet actor Alexei Uchitel (born 1951), Russian film director Alexei Venediktov (born 1955), Russian radio presenter Aleksei Veselkin (1961–2025), Russian actor and television personality Alexey Yaroshevsky (born 1984), Russian television reporter Aleksei Yuryevich German, (1938–2013) Russian filmmaker Aleksei Zharkov (1948–2016), Soviet actor

Chess

Alexei Alekhine (1888–1939), Russian chess player Alexei Barsov (born 1966), Uzbek chess grandmaster Alexei Bezgodov (born 1969), Russian chess grandmaster Alexei Chizhov (born 1964), Russian draughts grandmaster Alexey Dreev (born 1969), Russian chess grandmaster Alexei Fedorov (born 1972), Belarusian chess grandmaster Aleksey Goganov (born 1991), Russian chess grandmaster Aleksei Goncharov (chess player) (1879–1913), Russian chess master Aleksey Grebnev (born 2006), Russian chess grandmaster Alexey Kim (born 1986), Soviet-born South Korean chess grandmaster Alexei Kornev (born 1976), Russian chess grandmaster Alexey Korotylev (born 1977), Russian chess grandmaster Aleksei Kulashko (born 1972), New Zealand chess player Aleksei Pridorozhni (born 1981), Russian chess grandmaster Alexey Root (born 1965), American chess player Alexey Sarana (born 2000), Russo-Serbian chess grandmaster Alexey Selezniev (1888–1967), Russian chess player Alexei Shirov (born 1972), Latvian-Spanish chess Grandmaster Alexey Sokolsky (1908–1969), Soviet chess player Alexey Suetin (1926–2001), Russian chess grandmaster Alexey Vyzmanavin (1960–2000), Russian chess grandmaster

Performing arts

Aleksei Arbuzov (1908–1986), Soviet playwright Aleksey Burago, Russian-American theater director Aleksei Dikiy (1889–1955), Soviet theater director Alexey Goloborodko (born 1994), Russian dancing contortionist Aleksey Granovsky (1890–1937), Russian theatre director Alexei Potekhin (1829–1908), Russian dramatist Alexei Ratmansky (born 1968), Russian ballet dancer and choreographer Aleksei Serebryakov (actor) (born 1964), Russian stage performer Alexey Sheynin (born 1947), Russian theatrical actor Aleksey Yermolayev (1910–1975), Russian ballet dancer Aleksey Zhemchuzhnikov (1821–1908), Russian dramatist and poet

Businesspeople

Aleksey Alchevsky (1835–1901), Russian entrepreneur and philanthropist Alexei Barantsev (born 1959), Russian businessman Alexey Fedorychev (born 1955), Hungarian businessman Alexey Khotin (born 1974), Russian businessman Alexey Komissarov (born 1969), Russian entrepreneur Alexei Kozlov (businessman) (born 1974), Russian businessman Alexey Kuzmichev (born 1962), Russian businessman Alexey Miller (born 1962), Russian businessman Alexei Mordashov (born 1965), Russian businessman Alexei Motlokhov (born 1981/82), Russian hedge fund manager Aleksei Petrov (businessman) (1962–2023), Bulgarian businessman Alexey Pichugin (born 1962), Russian businessman Aleksei Putilov (1866–1940), Russian banker and exilee from the Soviet Union Aleksey Repik (born 1979), Russian businessman Alexey M. Reznikovich (born 1968), Soviet-born British investor Alexey Startsev (1838–1900), Russian merchant and industrialist Alexei Turchaninov (1705–1787), Russian business magnate Alexey Ustaev (born 1960), Bukharian Jewish entrepreneur Aleksey Semyonovich Vishnyakov (1859–1919), Russian entrepreneur and philanthropist

Physical arts

Aleksey Afanasyev (1850–1920), Russian painter Alexei Andreyuk (born 1959), Belarusian architect Aleksey Antropov (1716–1795), Russian painter Aleksey Beketov (1862–1941), Ukrainian architect Alexei Ivanovich Belsky (1726–1796), Russian painter Alexey Brodovitch (1898–1971), Russian-American art director Alexey Dushkin (1904–1977), Soviet architect Alexei Eriomin (1919–1998), Russian painter Aleksei Fedorov-Davydov (1900–1969), Soviet art historian Aleksey Gornostayev (1808–1862), Russian architect Alexei Grabco (1936–2016), Moldovan caricaturist and illustrator Alexis Gritchenko (1883–1977), Ukrainian painter Aleksei Gritsai (1914–1998), Soviet painter Alexei Harlamoff (1840–1925), Russian painter Alexei Karev (1879–1942), Russian painter Aleksey Kivshenko (1851–1895), Russian painter Alexey Klokov (born 1965), Russian painter Aleksey Kokel (1880–1956), Chuvash painter Alexey Rafaelovich Kolesnikov (born 1964), Ukrainian illustrator Alexey Komarov (1879–1977), Russian wildlife artist Alexei Komech (1936–2007), Russian architect and preservationist Aleksey Korin (1865–1923), Russian painter Alexey Korolyuk (1933–2002), Soviet sculptor and medallist Alexei Korzukhin (1835–1894), Russian painter Aleksei Ilyich Kravchenko (1889–1940), Russian painter Aleksey Lidov (1959–2025), Russian art historian Alexei Maximov (born 1952), Russian oil painter Aleksey Merinov (born 1959), Russian cartoonist Aleksey Morgunov (1884–1934), Russian painter Alexey Morosov (born 1974), Russian contemporary artist Alexei Mozhaev (1918–1994), Russian painter Alexey Orlovski (born 1963), Russian painter Alexei Pakhomov (1900–1973), Russian painter Alexey Parygin (born 1964), Russian painter Alexei Savrasov (1830–1897), Russian artist Alexey von Schlippe (1915–1988), Russian-American painter Alexey Sergienko (born 1968), Russian painter and mixed-media artist Alexey Shchusev (1873–1949), Russian architect Alexei Shulgin (born 1963), Russian contemporary artist Alexey Sorokin (fashion designer) (born 1981), Russian fashion designer Alexey Steele (born 1967), Soviet-American painter Alexei Stepanov (1858–1923), Russian painter Alexey Tarasovich Markov (1802–1878), Russian neoclassical painter Alexey Titarenko (born 1962), Soviet-American photographer Alexei Tsvetkov (sculptor) (1924–2009), Russian sculptor Alexey Tyranov (1808–1859), Russian painter Alexey Vaulin (born 1974), Russian graphic artist Alexey Venetsianov (1780–1847), Russian painter Alexey Voloskov (1822–1882), Russian landscape painter Alexei Yegorovich Yegorov (1776–1851), Russian neoclassical painter Alexey Zubov (1682–c. 1741), Russian etching artist

Criminals

Alexey Belan (born 1987), Latvian hacker Alexey Dobrovolsky (1938–2013), Soviet neo-Nazi Alexey Falkin (born 1982), Russian serial killer and rapist Alexey Gromov (serial killer) (born 1970), Russian serial killer who killed four women between 2006 and 2011 Alexei Ivanov (serial killer) (born 1976), Russian serial killer who killed and dismembered four prostitutes Alexey Kruglov (born 1986), Serial killer who killed four children Alexey Mikhalenya (1984–2018), Belarusian serial killer who killed five people Alexey Milchakov (born 1991), Russian war criminal and animal abuser Aleksei Rjabkov (born 1964), Estonian serial killer who killed four people Alexey Ryzhkov (born 1972), Russian serial killer who murdered and raped four women Aleksey Sukletin (1943–1987), Soviet serial killer, rapist and cannibal Alexey Tigoyev (born 1970), Russian serial killer who killed between seven and nine people Alexei Varakin (born 1986), Uzbek serial killer who killed two prostitutes Alexey Vygovsky (born 1986), Russian serial killer who poisoned and killed 37 people on the Moscow metro

Religion

Aleksei (convert) (1425–1488), Russian archpriest who converted to Judaism