Alex
Alex was given to 1,515 boys in 2025, #232 among boys’ names; 295,991 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 252,000 Americans named Alex and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (85% of everyone recorded); the median is 29 years old and half are between 20 and 38.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Alex by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Alex mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Alex is “a unisex given name from Ancient Greek.”
Clipping of Alexander, from Ancient Greek Ἀλέξανδρος (Aléxandros) 'he who wards off men', i.e. protector, possibly of Hittite origin. Also from Alexius, from the same Ancient Greek first element, “helping, defending”. These two origins of Alex are indistinguishable in most languages. The female name has the same root, a clipping of Alexandra or the female name Alexis, in some cases also a spelling variant of Alix.
/ˈæl.ɪks/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Alex?
#232 among boys’ names, 2025
Alex fell from #134 in 2015 to #232 in 2025 among boys’ names; its share of boys born fell from 1.6 to 0.89 per 1,000.
8,064 babies in 1993, the peak
Alex peaked in 1993, when 8,064 babies were given it (7,639 boys, #52 among boys’ names). The 1,586 births of 2025 (girls and boys) are 20% of that peak.
Births by sex.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,515 | #232 | 0.89 |
| 2024 | 1,728 | #205 | 1.0 |
| 2023 | 1,814 | #203 | 1.1 |
| 2022 | 2,006 | #190 | 1.1 |
| 2021 | 1,969 | #192 | 1.1 |
| 2020 | 2,122 | #183 | 1.2 |
| 2019 | 2,401 | #165 | 1.3 |
| 2018 | 2,526 | #153 | 1.4 |
| 2017 | 2,606 | #151 | 1.4 |
| 2016 | 2,855 | #146 | 1.5 |
Every recorded year (146)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 3,113 | #134 | 1.6 |
| 2014 | 3,192 | #128 | 1.7 |
| 2013 | 3,559 | #110 | 1.9 |
| 2012 | 3,870 | #98 | 2.0 |
| 2011 | 4,041 | #95 | 2.1 |
| 2010 | 4,442 | #93 | 2.3 |
| 2009 | 5,174 | #83 | 2.6 |
| 2008 | 5,400 | #84 | 2.6 |
| 2007 | 6,275 | #72 | 3.0 |
| 2006 | 6,670 | #67 | 3.2 |
| 2005 | 6,488 | #71 | 3.2 |
| 2004 | 6,812 | #63 | 3.4 |
| 2003 | 6,794 | #62 | 3.4 |
| 2002 | 6,807 | #63 | 3.5 |
| 2001 | 6,613 | #62 | 3.4 |
| 2000 | 6,748 | #62 | 3.4 |
| 1999 | 6,828 | #58 | 3.6 |
| 1998 | 6,954 | #55 | 3.6 |
| 1997 | 6,855 | #55 | 3.6 |
| 1996 | 6,915 | #53 | 3.7 |
| 1995 | 7,424 | #47 | 3.9 |
| 1994 | 7,240 | #50 | 3.7 |
| 1993 | 7,639 | #52 | 3.9 |
| 1992 | 7,351 | #54 | 3.7 |
| 1991 | 6,673 | #63 | 3.3 |
| 1990 | 6,951 | #59 | 3.4 |
| 1989 | 6,543 | #60 | 3.3 |
| 1988 | 6,408 | #58 | 3.3 |
| 1987 | 6,042 | #60 | 3.2 |
| 1986 | 5,111 | #64 | 2.8 |
| 1985 | 3,909 | #80 | 2.1 |
| 1984 | 3,026 | #93 | 1.7 |
| 1983 | 2,155 | #123 | 1.2 |
| 1982 | 1,964 | #143 | 1.1 |
| 1981 | 1,873 | #148 | 1.0 |
| 1980 | 1,681 | #156 | 0.94 |
| 1979 | 1,656 | #156 | 1.0 |
| 1978 | 1,468 | #164 | 0.89 |
| 1977 | 1,610 | #153 | 1.0 |
| 1976 | 1,359 | #172 | 0.87 |
| 1975 | 1,327 | #175 | 0.85 |
| 1974 | 1,385 | #171 | 0.88 |
| 1973 | 1,246 | #184 | 0.80 |
| 1972 | 1,182 | #196 | 0.73 |
| 1971 | 1,361 | #188 | 0.77 |
| 1970 | 1,403 | #191 | 0.76 |
| 1969 | 1,212 | #207 | 0.68 |
| 1968 | 1,163 | #200 | 0.67 |
| 1967 | 1,130 | #205 | 0.65 |
| 1966 | 1,023 | #218 | 0.57 |
| 1965 | 1,246 | #200 | 0.67 |
| 1964 | 1,240 | #218 | 0.62 |
| 1963 | 1,306 | #215 | 0.64 |
| 1962 | 1,267 | #217 | 0.61 |
| 1961 | 1,217 | #228 | 0.57 |
| 1960 | 1,230 | #226 | 0.58 |
| 1959 | 1,164 | #234 | 0.55 |
| 1958 | 1,019 | #245 | 0.48 |
| 1957 | 896 | #253 | 0.42 |
| 1956 | 809 | #253 | 0.38 |
| 1955 | 712 | #263 | 0.35 |
| 1954 | 743 | #259 | 0.36 |
| 1953 | 716 | #260 | 0.36 |
| 1952 | 700 | #258 | 0.36 |
| 1951 | 690 | #254 | 0.37 |
| 1950 | 749 | #244 | 0.42 |
| 1949 | 730 | #242 | 0.41 |
| 1948 | 764 | #234 | 0.44 |
| 1947 | 794 | #228 | 0.43 |
| 1946 | 706 | #225 | 0.43 |
| 1945 | 639 | #217 | 0.47 |
| 1944 | 620 | #221 | 0.45 |
| 1943 | 660 | #222 | 0.46 |
| 1942 | 681 | #215 | 0.49 |
| 1941 | 641 | #210 | 0.52 |
| 1940 | 620 | #208 | 0.53 |
| 1939 | 597 | #204 | 0.54 |
| 1938 | 601 | #206 | 0.54 |
| 1937 | 564 | #211 | 0.53 |
| 1936 | 564 | #210 | 0.54 |
| 1935 | 581 | #207 | 0.56 |
| 1934 | 623 | #198 | 0.60 |
| 1933 | 606 | #197 | 0.61 |
| 1932 | 683 | #192 | 0.65 |
| 1931 | 727 | #182 | 0.70 |
| 1930 | 760 | #180 | 0.69 |
| 1929 | 775 | #180 | 0.72 |
| 1928 | 799 | #179 | 0.72 |
| 1927 | 888 | #169 | 0.79 |
| 1926 | 805 | #179 | 0.72 |
| 1925 | 903 | #165 | 0.81 |
| 1924 | 978 | #162 | 0.86 |
| 1923 | 940 | #161 | 0.86 |
| 1922 | 1,003 | #155 | 0.92 |
| 1921 | 1,022 | #149 | 0.93 |
| 1920 | 1,069 | #142 | 1.0 |
| 1919 | 1,082 | #137 | 1.1 |
| 1918 | 1,207 | #131 | 1.2 |
| 1917 | 1,081 | #132 | 1.2 |
| 1916 | 1,094 | #128 | 1.2 |
| 1915 | 1,008 | #131 | 1.2 |
| 1914 | 789 | #131 | 1.2 |
| 1913 | 604 | #130 | 1.2 |
| 1912 | 482 | #135 | 1.1 |
| 1911 | 268 | #129 | 1.2 |
| 1910 | 256 | #127 | 1.3 |
| 1909 | 227 | #123 | 1.4 |
| 1908 | 199 | #127 | 1.3 |
| 1907 | 186 | #127 | 1.3 |
| 1906 | 176 | #122 | 1.3 |
| 1905 | 166 | #133 | 1.3 |
| 1904 | 169 | #125 | 1.3 |
| 1903 | 138 | #135 | 1.2 |
| 1902 | 154 | #125 | 1.3 |
| 1901 | 138 | #120 | 1.3 |
| 1900 | 192 | #120 | 1.3 |
| 1899 | 133 | #122 | 1.3 |
| 1898 | 149 | #125 | 1.2 |
| 1897 | 130 | #128 | 1.2 |
| 1896 | 165 | #112 | 1.4 |
| 1895 | 143 | #117 | 1.2 |
| 1894 | 152 | #112 | 1.3 |
| 1893 | 133 | #120 | 1.2 |
| 1892 | 163 | #110 | 1.3 |
| 1891 | 133 | #109 | 1.3 |
| 1890 | 147 | #111 | 1.3 |
| 1889 | 127 | #114 | 1.1 |
| 1888 | 167 | #102 | 1.4 |
| 1887 | 136 | #104 | 1.3 |
| 1886 | 161 | #96 | 1.5 |
| 1885 | 159 | #92 | 1.5 |
| 1884 | 148 | #105 | 1.3 |
| 1883 | 120 | #108 | 1.1 |
| 1882 | 172 | #89 | 1.5 |
| 1881 | 114 | #109 | 1.1 |
| 1880 | 147 | #92 | 1.3 |
Ranks and shares: boys’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all boys SSA recorded that year.
Is Alex a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Of the 295,991 Americans recorded as Alex, 3% are girls and 97% boys. In 2025 it went to 71 girls and 1,515 boys.
Years with fewer than 20 babies given the name are left blank.
Girls and boys named Alex: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Alex, and how old are they?
252,000 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 85% of the 295,991 Americans ever recorded as Alex. The median Alex alive today is 29 years old; half are between 20 and 38.
The 2020 Census counted 373,467 people named Alex (22,898 women and girls, 350,569 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 246,746 born in the U.S. The Census count is 1.5 times that prediction. Possible reasons: the Census counts people born abroad, whom SSA’s files leave out, and it records the name people give, which SSA may have recorded under another spelling or as part of a compound name.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 2,220 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 12,000 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 19,300 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 86,900 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 98,500 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 33,000 |
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 Alex born?
The states with the most babies named Alex are California, Texas and Florida, with 40% of its births recorded by state in 2025.
| State | Births 2025 | Rank, boys | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 264 | #153 | 1.2× |
| Texas | 196 | #207 | 0.9× |
| Florida | 153 | #142 | 1.0× |
| New York | 84 | #248 | 1.1× |
| Illinois | 56 | #211 | 1.1× |
| New Jersey | 49 | #200 | 1.0× |
| Georgia | 48 | #258 | 0.8× |
| Ohio | 41 | #298 | 0.9× |
| Pennsylvania | 40 | #286 | 0.9× |
| Arizona | 40 | #209 | 1.1× |
Where Alex is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Alex is most over-represented in California: since 1910 it was given 1.2 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 Alex 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 4 names spelled alike, given to 296,914 babies since 1880, Alex is the most given (100% of them). In 2025 it was given to 1,586 of their 1,586 babies (100%), 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 Alex
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 Alex and names like it
- Compare Alex and AlexxBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 1990sAlex peaked in 1993.
- California’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Alex since 1910.
- Ancient Greek namesWiktionary’s origin for Alex: every such name, by how often it is given.
- The top names of 1993The year the most babies were named Alex.
- The names of Generation ZMost people named Alex alive today were born 1997-2012.
- Names starting with AMost given first.