Alex
A short form of Alexander, Greek for “defender of men.”
Popularity, 1880–2025
Alex appears in the national records from the very first year, 1880. It has ranked among the top 100 names for American boys in 33 different years between 1880 and 2012. Its biggest year was 1993, when 7,639 newborn boys received the name, ranking it No. 52 nationally. Its best ranking came in 1995, at No. 47. In 2025 it ranked No. 232 for boys. All told, 295,991 Americans have been given the name since 1880.
Related names
Other spellings on record: Alix (4,573), Alyx (1,477) (total births since 1880)
Other names that share a story: Alexander
Explore Alex interactively →By the decade
| Decade | Births | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 1,451 | No. 89 |
| 1890s | 1,448 | No. 109 |
| 1900s | 1,745 | No. 120 |
| 1910s | 7,871 | No. 127 |
| 1920s | 9,182 | No. 142 |
| 1930s | 6,306 | No. 180 |
| 1940s | 6,855 | No. 208 |
| 1950s | 8,198 | No. 234 |
| 1960s | 12,034 | No. 200 |
| 1970s | 13,997 | No. 153 |
| 1980s | 38,712 | No. 58 |
| 1990s | 70,830 | No. 47 |
| 2000s | 63,781 | No. 62 |
| 2010s | 32,605 | No. 93 |
| 2020s | 11,154 | No. 183 |
Births and rank shown for boys, the sex more often given the name. The Social Security Administration omits name–year combinations with fewer than five births.
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Data: U.S. Social Security Administration national baby-name file, 1880–2025.