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.
- #471 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #977 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 55,152
- born since 1880
- 1990s
- peak decade
Yes -- Alec is the #977 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 #977 nationally and more common than 93% 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.
- #471 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #977 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 55,152 born since 1880
- 1990s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Alec ranks #471 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #977 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 55,152 born since 1880, peaking in the 1990s.
- #471 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #977 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 55,152
- born since 1880
- 1990s
- peak decade
Alec's 55,152 recorded births place it above 98.96% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Alec compares
55,152 Top 4% higher than 96% of 13,930 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 149x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Alec | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 55,152 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 3,420 | 34 | 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 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
1990s is the heaviest window (25,908 births, 47% of the file).
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 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% |
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? ▼
Where does Alec sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Alec most popular? ▼
Where is Alec most popular? ▼
How long has the name Alec been used? ▼
What names are similar to Alec? ▼
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
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
Compare Alec side by side: Alec vs Alexander Alec vs Alex Alec vs Alejandro
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Alec
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Alec: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1995)
Similar record span (~145 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 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).
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 August 2026.