Alec
Alec was given to 234 boys in 2025, #977 among boys’ names; 55,489 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 52,000 Americans named Alec and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (94% of everyone recorded); the median is 28 years old and half are between 22 and 32.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Alec by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Alec mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Alec is “a diminutive of the male given name Alexander, from Ancient Greek, of Scottish origin.”
Clipping of Alexander.
/ˈælɪk/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Alec?
#977 among boys’ names, 2025
Alec fell from #456 in 2015 to #977 in 2025 among boys’ names; its share of boys born fell from 0.35 to 0.14 per 1,000.
3,457 babies in 1995, the peak
Alec peaked in 1995, when 3,457 babies were given it (3,420 boys, #112 among boys’ names). The 234 births of 2025 are 7% of that peak.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 234 | #977 | 0.14 |
| 2024 | 274 | #880 | 0.16 |
| 2023 | 290 | #841 | 0.17 |
| 2022 | 346 | #745 | 0.20 |
| 2021 | 390 | #682 | 0.22 |
| 2020 | 470 | #588 | 0.27 |
| 2019 | 518 | #543 | 0.29 |
| 2018 | 521 | #539 | 0.29 |
| 2017 | 575 | #506 | 0.31 |
| 2016 | 617 | #492 | 0.33 |
Every recorded year (144)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 665 | #456 | 0.35 |
| 2014 | 624 | #467 | 0.32 |
| 2013 | 626 | #453 | 0.33 |
| 2012 | 606 | #449 | 0.32 |
| 2011 | 659 | #421 | 0.35 |
| 2010 | 669 | #417 | 0.35 |
| 2009 | 730 | #406 | 0.37 |
| 2008 | 774 | #389 | 0.38 |
| 2007 | 872 | #363 | 0.42 |
| 2006 | 982 | #329 | 0.48 |
| 2005 | 1,127 | #292 | 0.56 |
| 2004 | 1,333 | #246 | 0.67 |
| 2003 | 1,526 | #226 | 0.77 |
| 2002 | 1,749 | #206 | 0.90 |
| 2001 | 2,155 | #173 | 1.1 |
| 2000 | 2,479 | #156 | 1.3 |
| 1999 | 2,892 | #132 | 1.5 |
| 1998 | 3,356 | #112 | 1.8 |
| 1997 | 3,137 | #123 | 1.7 |
| 1996 | 3,308 | #117 | 1.7 |
| 1995 | 3,420 | #112 | 1.8 |
| 1994 | 3,322 | #109 | 1.7 |
| 1993 | 2,090 | #154 | 1.1 |
| 1992 | 1,866 | #172 | 0.93 |
| 1991 | 1,539 | #199 | 0.76 |
| 1990 | 978 | #271 | 0.48 |
| 1989 | 603 | #371 | 0.30 |
| 1988 | 426 | #438 | 0.22 |
| 1987 | 446 | #413 | 0.24 |
| 1986 | 377 | #447 | 0.20 |
| 1985 | 290 | #514 | 0.16 |
| 1984 | 252 | #547 | 0.14 |
| 1983 | 203 | #601 | 0.11 |
| 1982 | 147 | #717 | 0.08 |
| 1981 | 131 | #760 | 0.07 |
| 1980 | 125 | #782 | 0.07 |
| 1979 | 91 | #917 | 0.05 |
| 1978 | 96 | #877 | 0.06 |
| 1977 | 94 | #873 | 0.06 |
| 1976 | 97 | #845 | 0.06 |
| 1975 | 80 | #916 | 0.05 |
| 1974 | 60 | #1,066 | 0.04 |
| 1973 | 85 | #860 | 0.05 |
| 1972 | 88 | #856 | 0.05 |
| 1971 | 105 | #786 | 0.06 |
| 1970 | 105 | #796 | 0.06 |
| 1969 | 94 | #797 | 0.05 |
| 1968 | 98 | #748 | 0.06 |
| 1967 | 93 | #761 | 0.05 |
| 1966 | 117 | #683 | 0.07 |
| 1965 | 116 | #692 | 0.06 |
| 1964 | 114 | #722 | 0.06 |
| 1963 | 76 | #863 | 0.04 |
| 1962 | 75 | #878 | 0.04 |
| 1961 | 91 | #796 | 0.04 |
| 1960 | 100 | #763 | 0.05 |
| 1959 | 99 | #765 | 0.05 |
| 1958 | 81 | #834 | 0.04 |
| 1957 | 76 | #860 | 0.04 |
| 1956 | 75 | #864 | 0.04 |
| 1955 | 54 | #1,022 | 0.03 |
| 1954 | 42 | #1,150 | 0.02 |
| 1953 | 51 | #1,014 | 0.03 |
| 1952 | 70 | #835 | 0.04 |
| 1951 | 55 | #942 | 0.03 |
| 1950 | 50 | #976 | 0.03 |
| 1949 | 53 | #945 | 0.03 |
| 1948 | 56 | #922 | 0.03 |
| 1947 | 70 | #830 | 0.04 |
| 1946 | 53 | #912 | 0.03 |
| 1945 | 36 | #1,077 | 0.03 |
| 1944 | 34 | #1,135 | 0.02 |
| 1943 | 34 | #1,170 | 0.02 |
| 1942 | 39 | #1,090 | 0.03 |
| 1941 | 36 | #1,091 | 0.03 |
| 1940 | 32 | #1,183 | 0.03 |
| 1939 | 30 | #1,194 | 0.03 |
| 1938 | 25 | #1,337 | 0.02 |
| 1937 | 38 | #1,032 | 0.04 |
| 1936 | 28 | #1,243 | 0.03 |
| 1935 | 23 | #1,422 | 0.02 |
| 1934 | 32 | #1,173 | 0.03 |
| 1933 | 32 | #1,160 | 0.03 |
| 1932 | 33 | #1,175 | 0.03 |
| 1931 | 21 | #1,539 | 0.02 |
| 1930 | 37 | #1,151 | 0.03 |
| 1929 | 26 | #1,414 | 0.02 |
| 1928 | 35 | #1,211 | 0.03 |
| 1927 | 54 | #939 | 0.05 |
| 1926 | 43 | #1,064 | 0.04 |
| 1925 | 53 | #924 | 0.05 |
| 1924 | 50 | #993 | 0.04 |
| 1923 | 56 | #913 | 0.05 |
| 1922 | 60 | #891 | 0.06 |
| 1921 | 69 | #825 | 0.06 |
| 1920 | 67 | #816 | 0.06 |
| 1919 | 60 | #850 | 0.06 |
| 1918 | 59 | #856 | 0.06 |
| 1917 | 69 | #749 | 0.07 |
| 1916 | 36 | #1,072 | 0.04 |
| 1915 | 57 | #804 | 0.07 |
| 1914 | 47 | #770 | 0.07 |
| 1913 | 37 | #777 | 0.07 |
| 1912 | 21 | #1,000 | 0.05 |
| 1911 | 15 | #856 | 0.07 |
| 1910 | 18 | #708 | 0.09 |
| 1909 | 15 | #714 | 0.09 |
| 1908 | 10 | #880 | 0.06 |
| 1907 | 11 | #816 | 0.07 |
| 1906 | 6 | #1,113 | 0.05 |
| 1905 | 12 | #700 | 0.09 |
| 1904 | 14 | #612 | 0.11 |
| 1903 | 7 | #912 | 0.06 |
| 1902 | 9 | #794 | 0.07 |
| 1901 | 5 | #1,058 | 0.05 |
| 1900 | 15 | #649 | 0.10 |
| 1899 | 5 | #1,054 | 0.05 |
| 1897 | 6 | #942 | 0.05 |
| 1896 | 12 | #641 | 0.10 |
| 1895 | 5 | #1,081 | 0.04 |
| 1894 | 6 | #955 | 0.05 |
| 1893 | 5 | #1,038 | 0.04 |
| 1892 | 5 | #1,067 | 0.04 |
| 1891 | 6 | #841 | 0.06 |
| 1890 | 11 | #603 | 0.10 |
| 1888 | 9 | #704 | 0.07 |
| 1887 | 5 | #928 | 0.05 |
| 1886 | 5 | #963 | 0.05 |
| 1885 | 9 | #641 | 0.08 |
| 1884 | 7 | #767 | 0.06 |
| 1883 | 5 | #893 | 0.05 |
| 1882 | 8 | #693 | 0.07 |
| 1881 | 7 | #707 | 0.07 |
| 1880 | 11 | #571 | 0.10 |
Ranks and shares: boys’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all boys SSA recorded that year.
Is Alec a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Alec has been given almost only to boys: 337 girls in 144 years of records.
Girls and boys named Alec: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Alec, and how old are they?
52,000 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 94% of the 55,489 Americans ever recorded as Alec. The median Alec alive today is 28 years old; half are between 22 and 32.
The 2020 Census counted 49,538 people named Alec (422 women and girls, 49,116 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 50,815 born in the U.S. The Census count is 3% below that prediction.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 115 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 911 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 1,360 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 18,900 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 24,600 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 6,110 |
An estimate, not a count. SSA’s files count people born in the United States who received a Social Security number, so anyone born abroad is not in them; before 1937 most people got a number as adults, and their survival is counted from that age.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named Alec born?
The states with the most babies named Alec are California, Texas and Florida, with 52% of its births recorded by state in 2025.
| State | Births 2025 | Rank, boys | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 39 | #699 | 0.9× |
| Texas | 36 | #749 | 0.8× |
| Florida | 17 | #847 | 0.9× |
| New York | 13 | #951 | 0.8× |
| Arizona | 10 | #637 | 1.1× |
| Illinois | 9 | #871 | 1.2× |
| Oklahoma | 8 | #505 | 0.6× |
| Virginia | 7 | #876 | 0.7× |
| Ohio | 6 | #1,113 | 1.1× |
| Michigan | 6 | #1,001 | 1.2× |
Where Alec is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Alec is most over-represented in Minnesota: since 1910 it was given 1.4 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among boys’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of Alec with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names spelled alike
Of these 7 names spelled alike, given to 62,261 babies since 1880, Alec is the most given (89% of them). In 2025 it was given to 234 of their 295 babies (79%), again the most given.
Spelled alike: names in the SSA national file with the same pattern of letters and sounds and at most two letters apart, and Wiktionary’s listed forms; births since 1880 and in 2025, and each name’s peak year, from the SSA national file, published May 8, 2026. Some are separate names, not spellings of one.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Alec
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about Alec and names like it
- Compare Alec and AlekBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 1990sAlec peaked in 1995.
- California’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Alec since 1910.
- Ancient Greek namesWiktionary’s origin for Alec: every such name, by how often it is given.
- The top names of 1995The year the most babies were named Alec.
- The names of Generation ZMost people named Alec alive today were born 1997-2012.
- Names starting with AMost given first.