ALEXIS WHITE

Variant (or female derivative) of Alexius, the Latin spelling of Greek Alexios, a short form of various compound personal names derived from alexein ‘to defend’. St Alexius was a 5th-century saint of Edessa, venerated particularly in the Orthodox Church as a ‘man of God’. Alexis was originally a boy's name, but is now more commonly given to girls.

English, Scottish, and Irish: from Middle English whit ‘white’, hence a nickname for someone with white hair or an unnaturally pale complexion. In some cases it represents a Middle English personal name, from an Old English byname, Hwīt(a), of this origin. As a Scottish and Irish surname it has been widely used as a translation of the many Gaelic names based on bán ‘white’ (see Bain 1) or fionn ‘fair’ (see Finn 1). There has also been some confusion with Wight.