boys' name ★ peaked 1993

Alex

Meaning he who wards off men Gender Boy · 3% girls Rank 2025 #232 Trend ↓ Falling 25%

Clipping of Alexander, from Ancient Greek Ἀλέξανδρος (Aléxandros) 'he who wards off men', i.e. protector, possibly of Hittite origin.

Rank 2025
#232
among boys · ↓27 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
1,586
named Alex · -13% vs 2024
How common
1 in 1,127
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1993
8,064 babies
All-time total
295,991
#133 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Alex popularity over time

295,991 babies have been named Alex since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
1.252.53.75518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – 1,451 1,451 145 – #89
1890s – 1,448 1,448 145 0% #109
1900s – 1,745 1,745 175 +21% #120
1910s 39 7,871 7,910 791 +353% #127
1920s 95 9,182 9,277 928 +17% #142
1930s 65 6,306 6,371 637 -31% #180
1940s 57 6,855 6,912 691 +8% #208
1950s 94 8,198 8,292 829 +20% #234
1960s 131 12,034 12,165 1,217 +47% #200
1970s 187 13,997 14,184 1,418 +17% #153
1980s 1,171 38,712 39,883 3,988 +181% #58
1990s 3,477 70,830 74,307 7,431 +86% #47
2000s 2,144 63,781 65,925 6,593 -11% #62
2010s 1,654 32,605 34,259 3,426 -48% #93
2020s (to 2025) 708 11,154 11,862 1,977 -42% #183

Where Alex is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 1,440 0.84 #242
2027 1,379 0.81 #254
2028 1,330 0.78 #261
2029 1,289 0.75 #267
2030 1,255 0.73 #274

Where Alex is most popular

Boys named Alex per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 1.05 per 1,000. Strongest in Nevada, Florida, and California.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Alex born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Nevada 109 1.91 +83%
Florida 841 1.78 +70%
California 1,543 1.69 +61%
New Mexico 47 1.43 +36%
Arizona 232 1.42 +36%
Louisiana 138 1.35 +29%
New Jersey 267 1.33 +27%
Texas 1,144 1.30 +24%
Delaware 19 1.25 +20%
Connecticut 84 1.24 +19%
New York 533 1.23 +18%
Washington 201 1.23 +17%
Maryland 142 1.19 +14%
Oklahoma 102 1.15 +10%
Illinois 293 1.15 +10%
Alabama 125 1.14 +9%
Oregon 84 1.11 +6%
Georgia 280 1.11 +6%
Hawaii 17 1.09 +5%
Arkansas 69 1.09 ≈ national
Virginia 206 1.09 ≈ national
North Carolina 275 1.08 ≈ national
Nebraska 45 1.03 ≈ national
South Carolina 106 1.03 ≈ national
Wisconsin 121 1.02 ≈ national
District of Columbia 15 1.02 ≈ national
Massachusetts 138 1.00 ≈ national
Iowa 69 1.00 ≈ national
North Dakota 17 0.996 -5%
Minnesota 122 0.995 -5%
Kentucky 99 0.986 -6%
Kansas 67 0.977 -7%
Colorado 124 0.961 -8%
Tennessee 170 0.942 -10%
Rhode Island 15 0.920 -12%
Mississippi 52 0.915 -12%
Pennsylvania 243 0.915 -12%
Indiana 144 0.898 -14%
Utah 80 0.838 -20%
Ohio 219 0.826 -21%
South Dakota 15 0.806 -23%
Michigan 165 0.806 -23%
Alaska 9 0.756 -28%
Missouri 99 0.714 -32%
Idaho 26 0.635 -39%
West Virginia 17 0.521 -50%
Maine – – –
Montana – – –
New Hampshire – – –
Vermont – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Alex

Alex is moderately common for boys in the United States, ranked #232 in 2025 with 1,515 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 295,991 American babies have been named Alex. Its peak came in 1993, when 8,064 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1990s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Alex stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Alex?

The median living Alex is about 28 years old; half are between 19 and 37. An estimated 255 thousand people named Alex are alive in the United States today.

median 28 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Alex year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 71 #2,487 1,515 #232
2024 88 #2,151 1,728 #205
2023 100 #1,966 1,814 #203
2022 148 #1,478 2,006 #190
2021 130 #1,613 1,969 #192
2020 171 #1,294 2,122 #183
2019 151 #1,460 2,401 #165
2018 171 #1,325 2,526 #153
2017 189 #1,251 2,606 #151
2016 177 #1,338 2,855 #146
2015 187 #1,287 3,113 #134
2014 160 #1,422 3,192 #128
2013 146 #1,511 3,559 #110
2012 132 #1,629 3,870 #98
2011 168 #1,370 4,041 #95
2010 173 #1,352 4,442 #93
2009 174 #1,367 5,174 #83
2008 169 #1,406 5,400 #84
2007 192 #1,277 6,275 #72
2006 234 #1,083 6,670 #67
2005 229 #1,044 6,488 #71
2004 242 #982 6,812 #63
2003 220 #1,039 6,794 #62
2002 226 #978 6,807 #63
2001 219 #981 6,613 #62
2000 239 #913 6,748 #62
1995 441 #537 7,424 #47
1990 250 #802 6,951 #59
1985 86 #1,445 3,909 #80
1980 30 #2,941 1,681 #156
1975 13 #4,598 1,327 #175
1970 15 #3,874 1,403 #191
1965 11 #3,956 1,246 #200
1960 17 #2,989 1,230 #226
1955 6 #5,218 712 #263
1950 9 #3,669 749 #244
1945 – – 639 #217
1940 6 #3,872 620 #208
1935 7 #3,436 581 #207
1930 13 #2,426 760 #180
1925 5 #4,985 903 #165
1920 11 #2,902 1,069 #142
1915 11 #2,532 1,008 #131
1910 – – 256 #127
1905 – – 166 #133
1900 – – 192 #120
1895 – – 143 #117
1890 – – 147 #111
1885 – – 159 #92
1880 – – 147 #92

Famous people named Alex

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Alex Ferguson Alex Ferguson Scottish football manager (born 1941) Contemporary
  2. 2 Alex Kingston Alex Kingston English actress (born 1963) Contemporary
  3. 3 Alex Jones Alex Jones American far-right conspiracy theorist (born 1974) Contemporary
  4. 4 Alex Rodriguez Alex Rodriguez American baseball player (born 1975) Contemporary
  5. 5 Alex Zanardi Alex Zanardi Italian racing driver and para-cyclist (1966–2026) Contemporary
  6. 6 Alex Borstein Alex Borstein American actress (born 1971) Contemporary
  7. 7 Alex Pettyfer Alex Pettyfer British actor and model (born 1990) Contemporary
  8. 8 Alex Trebek Alex Trebek Canadian-American TV personality (1940–2020) Contemporary
  9. 9 Alex Turner Alex Turner British indie rock musician (born 1986) Contemporary
  10. 10 Alex O'Loughlin Alex O'Loughlin Australian actor (born 1976) Contemporary
  11. 11 Alex Rocco Alex Rocco American actor (1936–2015) Contemporary
  12. 12 Alex Higgins Alex Higgins Northern Irish snooker player (1949–2010) Contemporary
  13. 13 Alex Haley Alex Haley American writer (1921–1992) Contemporary
  14. 14 Alex Salmond Alex Salmond First Minister of Scotland from 2007 to 2014 b. 1954 · Contemporary
  15. 15 Alex Song Alex Song Cameroonian footballer (born 1987) Contemporary
  16. 16 Alex Proyas Alex Proyas Australian film director b. 1963 · Contemporary
  17. 17 Alex Alex Brazilian footballer b. 1977 · Contemporary
  18. 18 Alex Grey Alex Grey American visual artist and author (born 1953) Contemporary
  19. 19 Alex Raymond Alex Raymond American cartoonist and illustrator (1909–1956) Contemporary
  20. 20 Alex Stepney Alex Stepney English footballer (born 1942) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Alex, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Alex?

The median living Alex is about 28 years old. Half of all living Alexs are between 19 and 37 years old.

How many people named Alex are alive today?

An estimated 255 thousand people named Alex are alive in the United States, based on 295,991 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Alex mean?

Clipping of Alexander, from Ancient Greek Ἀλέξανδρος (Aléxandros) 'he who wards off men', i.e. protector, possibly of Hittite origin.

How popular is the name Alex in 2025?

Alex ranked #232 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 1,515 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Alex?

295,991 babies have been named Alex in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Alex most popular?

Alex peaked in 1993, when 8,064 newborns received the name.

Is Alex a boy or girl name?

Alex is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 97% of babies with the name.

Is the name Alex rising or falling?

Alex is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Alex become more popular?

Alex is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 1,255 boys named Alex in 2030, which would rank around #274. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Alex?

Well-known people named Alex include Alex Ferguson (coach), Alex Kingston (actor), Alex Jones (presenter).

Names like Alex

Names that sound and feel close to Alex: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Alex with similar names → More names starting with A →