Save Gender Masculine Usage Finnish, Latvian Pronounced Pron. /ˈɑ.lɛk.sis/(Finnish) [key·simplify] Meaning & History Finnish and Latvian form of Alexis. This name was borne by Finnish author Aleksis Kivi (originally Alexis Stenvall) who wrote the first significant novel in the Finnish language, 'Seitsemän veljestä' ('Seven Brothers') in 1870.