Total births
286,169
Boys' name · since 1880
Alex
Alex has 286,169 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1993 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #205
- among boys today
- 286,169
- born since 1880
- 1990s
- peak decade
- 99%
- more common than other boys
Yes -- Alex is the #205 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 286,169 recorded since 1880.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Alex has been recorded 286,169 times among boys since 1880, currently ranked #205 nationally and more common than 99% 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.
- #205 among boys today
- 286,169 born since 1880
- 1990s peak decade
- 99% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Alex is currently the #205 boys' name in America, more common than 99% of boys - 286,169 born since 1880, peaking in the 1990s.
- #205
- among boys today
- 286,169
- born since 1880
- 1990s
- peak decade
- 99%
- more common than other boys
Alex vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#205
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 99% of names given to boys today.
1990s
Peak decade
25% of everyone ever named Alex was born in this single decade.
1993
Single peak year
7,639 babies were named Alex in 1993 - its busiest year on record.
How Alex compares
286,169 Top 1% higher than 99% 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
Alex's all-time total is 780x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Alex | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 286,169 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 7,639 | 23 | 22,252 |
Alex's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Alex splits its recorded history at 1953: 87% of all births land in the more recent half, 13% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1881 (114 births) -- compare that against the 1993 peak of 7,639 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Alex at a glance
Top 1,000 boys' namePeak year
1993
Current rank
#205
Active since
1880
Alex popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1993)
- 7,639
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Alex popularity over time - girls
9,822 total births recorded since 1915 (Alex as girls' name)
Alex by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1990s was Alex's strongest decade.
70,830 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 25% of all-time use.
Alex births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 1,451
1880s
1,451 births
- 1890s 1,448
1890s
1,448 births
- 1900s 1,745
1900s
1,745 births
- 1910s 7,871
1910s
7,871 births
- 1920s 9,182
1920s
9,182 births
- 1930s 6,306
1930s
6,306 births
- 1940s 6,855
1940s
6,855 births
- 1950s 8,198
1950s
8,198 births
- 1960s 12,034
1960s
12,034 births
- 1970s 13,997
1970s
13,997 births
- 1980s
1980s
38,712 births
- 1990s
1990s
70,830 births
- 2000s
2000s
63,781 births
- 2010s
2010s
32,605 births
- 2020s 11,154
2020s
11,154 births
What this shows Peak: 1990s at 70,830 births (25% of all-time use).
How Alex 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 Alex's total volume
Alex vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Alex by state
Where Alex concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 40,503 | 14.2% |
| #2 | Texas | | 22,460 | 7.8% |
| #3 | New York | | 22,383 | 7.8% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 14,256 | 5.0% |
| #5 | Florida | | 12,910 | 4.5% |
| #6 | Pennsylvania | | 11,428 | 4.0% |
| #7 | Ohio | | 10,863 | 3.8% |
| #8 | Michigan | | 9,609 | 3.4% |
California share of Alex's total US births 14.2%
Even split
40,503 of 286,169 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Alex appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Alex? ▼
Since 1880, Social Security records show 286,169 babies named Alex. Today it holds rank #205 among boys. Its busiest year on record was 1993, with 7,639 births.
When was Alex most popular? ▼
Alex was most popular in the 1990s decade with 70,830 total births. The single peak year was 1993.
Where is Alex most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Alex are California (40,503 births), Texas (22,460 births), New York (22,383 births).
How long has the name Alex been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Alex since 1880 -- 146 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Alex? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Alexander, Alejandro, Alexis, Alec, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Alex's data
- Alex's decade-level peak was the 1990s (70,830 total births); usage has since declined to 11,154 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Alexs (40,503 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 Alex
Nearby Names Like Alex
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Alex
Alexander Boy
#27 736,123 births
Alejandro Boy
#186 146,624 births
Alexis Boy
#484 68,075 births
Alec Boy
#881 55,152 births
Alessandro Boy
#554 12,002 births
Compare Alex side by side: Alex vs Alexander Alex vs Alejandro Alex vs Alexis
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Alex
Abraham #204
103,967 births · Peak 2016
Timothy #206
1,084,192 births · Peak 1959
Messiah #203
27,064 births · Peak 2021
Adonis #207
21,593 births · Peak 2023
Zayden #202
32,246 births · Peak 2014
Kaiden #208
52,562 births · Peak 2014
Bentley #201
60,027 births · Peak 2012
Knox #209
24,142 births · Peak 2022
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. "Alex: #205 Boys' Name - 286,169 Births, Peak 1993." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/alex. 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 Alex 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.