Total births
55,152
Boys' name · since 1880
Alec
Alec has 55,152 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1995 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #881
- among boys today
- 55,152
- born since 1880
- 1990s
- peak decade
- 94%
- more common than other boys
Yes -- Alec is the #881 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 55,152 recorded since 1880.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Alec has been recorded 55,152 times among boys since 1880, currently ranked #881 nationally and more common than 94% of boys, with its heaviest use in the 1990s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #881 among boys today
- 55,152 born since 1880
- 1990s peak decade
- 94% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Alec is currently the #881 boys' name in America, more common than 94% of boys - 55,152 born since 1880, peaking in the 1990s.
- #881
- among boys today
- 55,152
- born since 1880
- 1990s
- peak decade
- 94%
- more common than other boys
Alec vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#881
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 94% of names given to boys today.
1990s
Peak decade
47% of everyone ever named Alec was born in this single decade.
1995
Single peak year
3,420 babies were named Alec in 1995 - its busiest year on record.
How Alec compares
55,152 Top 3% higher than 97% of 14,294 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Alec's all-time total is 150x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Alec | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 55,152 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 3,420 | 23 | 22,252 |
Alec's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Alec's SSA record in two at 1954 and the more recent half accounts for 96% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 4%, consistent with a name still gaining ground rather than fading. Its calmest year was 1883, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 1995 peak of 3,420, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Alec at a glance
Top 1,000 boys' namePeak year
1995
Current rank
#881
Active since
1880
Alec popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1995)
- 3,420
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Alec popularity over time - girls
337 total births recorded since 1984 (Alec as girls' name)
Alec by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1990s was Alec's strongest decade.
25,908 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 47% of all-time use.
Alec births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 66
1880s
66 births
- 1890s 61
1890s
61 births
- 1900s 104
1900s
104 births
- 1910s 419
1910s
419 births
- 1920s 513
1920s
513 births
- 1930s 299
1930s
299 births
- 1940s 443
1940s
443 births
- 1950s 653
1950s
653 births
- 1960s 974
1960s
974 births
- 1970s 901
1970s
901 births
- 1980s 3,000
1980s
3,000 births
- 1990s
1990s
25,908 births
- 2000s
2000s
13,727 births
- 2010s 6,080
2010s
6,080 births
- 2020s 2,004
2020s
2,004 births
What this shows Peak: 1990s at 25,908 births (47% of all-time use).
How Alec compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Alec's total volume
Alec vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Alec by state
Where Alec concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 6,851 | 12.4% |
| #2 | Texas | | 3,942 | 7.1% |
| #3 | New York | | 3,089 | 5.6% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 3,043 | 5.5% |
| #5 | Florida | | 2,512 | 4.6% |
| #6 | Ohio | | 2,495 | 4.5% |
| #7 | Michigan | | 2,303 | 4.2% |
| #8 | Pennsylvania | | 2,208 | 4.0% |
California share of Alec's total US births 12.4%
Even split
6,851 of 55,152 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Alec appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Alec? ▼
Alec has been given to 55,152 babies in the U.S. since 1880, according to SSA data. Among boys, it ranks #881 as of the latest data. 3,420 babies were born in 1995, its single highest year.
When was Alec most popular? ▼
Alec was most popular in the 1990s decade with 25,908 total births. The single peak year was 1995.
Where is Alec most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Alec are California (6,851 births), Texas (3,942 births), New York (3,089 births).
How long has the name Alec been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Alec since 1880 -- 146 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Alec? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Alexander, Alex, Alejandro, Alexis, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Alec's data
- Alec's decade-level peak was the 1990s (25,908 total births); usage has since declined to 2,004 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Alecs (6,851 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Alec
Nearby Names Like Alec
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Alec
Alexander Boy
#27 736,123 births
Alex Boy
#205 286,169 births
Alejandro Boy
#186 146,624 births
Alexis Boy
#484 68,075 births
Alessandro Boy
#554 12,002 births
Compare Alec side by side: Alec vs Alexander Alec vs Alex Alec vs Alejandro
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Alec
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Alec: #881 Boys' Name - 55,152 Births, Peak 1995." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/alec. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Alec draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.