boys' name ★ peaked 1993

Alexander

Meaning Alexander is a masculine name of Greek origin Gender Boy · 1% girls Rank 2025 #30 Trend ↓ Falling 30%

Alexander is a masculine name of Greek origin.

Rank 2025
#30
among boys · ↓3 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
7,244
named Alexander · -4% vs 2024
How common
1 in 236
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1993
20,708 babies
All-time total
740,668
#47 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Alexander popularity over time

740,668 babies have been named Alexander 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
3.757.511.251518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
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 – 2,081 2,081 208 – #71
1890s – 1,954 1,954 195 -6% #83
1900s 5 2,230 2,235 224 +14% #92
1910s 51 11,352 11,403 1,140 +410% #94
1920s 52 12,539 12,591 1,259 +10% #116
1930s 30 7,095 7,125 713 -43% #168
1940s 18 9,477 9,495 950 +33% #178
1950s 52 12,180 12,232 1,223 +29% #186
1960s 111 14,168 14,279 1,428 +17% #150
1970s 288 24,932 25,220 2,522 +77% #94
1980s 1,528 82,010 83,538 8,354 +231% #32
1990s 1,461 183,952 185,413 18,541 +122% #21
2000s 600 178,847 179,447 17,945 -3% #4
2010s 273 142,161 142,434 14,243 -21% #6
2020s (to 2025) 76 51,145 51,221 8,537 -40% #10

Where Alexander 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 6,816 3.99 #35
2027 6,482 3.80 #38
2028 6,212 3.64 #41
2029 5,990 3.51 #46
2030 5,809 3.40 #51

Where Alexander is most popular

Boys named Alexander per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 4.73 per 1,000. Strongest in District of Columbia, Wyoming, and Rhode Island.

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 Alexander 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
District of Columbia 145 9.82 +108%
Wyoming 52 8.99 +90%
Rhode Island 132 8.10 +71%
Delaware 116 7.65 +62%
Hawaii 118 7.60 +61%
Alaska 86 7.22 +53%
California 6,514 7.13 +51%
Nevada 405 7.10 +50%
New Mexico 234 7.10 +50%
Connecticut 467 6.90 +46%
Vermont 42 6.69 +41%
Arizona 1,084 6.63 +40%
New Jersey 1,328 6.60 +39%
Illinois 1,638 6.41 +35%
New Hampshire 138 6.22 +31%
Florida 2,886 6.10 +29%
Massachusetts 837 6.09 +29%
New York 2,616 6.04 +28%
Virginia 1,100 5.80 +22%
Washington 930 5.68 +20%
Maryland 663 5.56 +17%
Texas 4,787 5.43 +15%
Maine 105 5.41 +14%
Nebraska 230 5.29 +12%
Oregon 397 5.23 +11%
Colorado 675 5.23 +11%
Kansas 355 5.18 +9%
West Virginia 168 5.15 +9%
Montana 90 5.10 +8%
Michigan 1,035 5.05 +7%
Indiana 793 4.95 ≈ national
Pennsylvania 1,299 4.89 ≈ national
Idaho 200 4.89 ≈ national
Oklahoma 432 4.88 ≈ national
North Carolina 1,232 4.83 ≈ national
South Carolina 480 4.64 ≈ national
Kentucky 465 4.63 ≈ national
Ohio 1,186 4.48 -5%
Georgia 1,129 4.46 -6%
North Dakota 75 4.39 -7%
Utah 416 4.36 -8%
Wisconsin 507 4.28 -10%
Missouri 592 4.27 -10%
Arkansas 266 4.20 -11%
South Dakota 77 4.14 -13%
Tennessee 726 4.02 -15%
Alabama 415 3.80 -20%
Minnesota 453 3.69 -22%
Iowa 245 3.55 -25%
Louisiana 353 3.45 -27%
Mississippi 163 2.87 -39%

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 Alexander

Alexander is a top-50 name for boys in the United States, ranked #30 in 2025 with 7,230 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 740,668 American babies have been named Alexander. Its peak came in 1993, when 20,708 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 Alexander stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Alexander?

The median living Alexander is about 24 years old; half are between 14 and 33. An estimated 680 thousand people named Alexander are alive in the United States today.

median 24 020406080100

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

Alexander 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 14 #7,502 7,230 #30
2024 10 #9,589 7,547 #27
2023 11 #9,017 7,918 #22
2022 11 #9,090 8,757 #17
2021 21 #5,756 9,425 #13
2020 9 #10,295 10,268 #10
2019 23 #5,452 11,327 #10
2018 20 #6,025 12,110 #11
2017 21 #5,832 12,577 #13
2016 18 #6,674 13,446 #11
2015 22 #5,846 14,584 #8
2014 33 #4,358 15,449 #8
2013 30 #4,651 14,923 #8
2012 28 #4,970 15,259 #9
2011 34 #4,249 15,717 #8
2010 44 #3,572 16,769 #6
2009 34 #4,373 18,254 #4
2008 44 #3,648 18,711 #6
2007 39 #3,987 18,150 #11
2006 52 #3,178 18,235 #12
2005 63 #2,672 18,130 #13
2004 115 #1,685 17,925 #15
2003 55 #2,801 17,714 #16
2002 84 #2,047 17,718 #15
2001 50 #2,881 16,720 #20
2000 64 #2,403 17,290 #20
1995 143 #1,197 19,456 #21
1990 223 #873 16,194 #28
1985 147 #1,023 8,295 #50
1980 52 #2,014 3,279 #91
1975 29 #2,612 2,439 #105
1970 17 #3,580 2,463 #137
1965 10 #4,205 1,321 #191
1960 13 #3,515 1,199 #232
1955 7 #4,746 1,170 #208
1950 7 #4,325 1,164 #189
1945 5 #4,566 891 #178
1940 – – 760 #188
1935 – – 702 #186
1930 5 #4,562 872 #168
1925 6 #4,434 1,224 #137
1920 7 #3,966 1,474 #117
1915 11 #2,533 1,432 #103
1910 – – 324 #101
1905 – – 210 #103
1900 – – 260 #93
1895 – – 199 #97
1890 – – 202 #85
1885 – – 205 #78
1880 – – 211 #73

Famous people named Alexander

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

  1. 1 Alexander the Great Alexander the Great King of Macedon from 336 to 323 BC -356–-323 · Antiquity
  2. 2 Alexander II of Russia Alexander II of Russia Emperor of Russia from 1855 to 1881 1818–1881 · 19th century
  3. 3 Alexander III of Russia Alexander III of Russia Emperor of Russia from 1881 to 1894 1845–1894 · 19th century
  4. 4 Alexander Graham Bell Alexander Graham Bell Inventor of the telephone (1847–1922) 19th century
  5. 5 Alexander Lukashenko Alexander Lukashenko President of Belarus since 1994 b. 1954 · Contemporary
  6. 6 Alexander I of Russia Alexander I of Russia Emperor of Russia from 1801 to 1825 1777–1825 · 18th century
  7. 7 Alexander Pushkin Alexander Pushkin Russian writer (1799–1837) 18th century
  8. 8 Alexander Fleming Alexander Fleming Scottish physician and microbiologist (1881–1955) 19th century
  9. 9 Alexander Kerensky Alexander Kerensky Russian politician (1881–1970) 19th century
  10. 10 Alexander von Humboldt Alexander von Humboldt German polymath (1769–1859) 18th century
  11. 11 Alexander I of Yugoslavia Alexander I of Yugoslavia King of Yugoslavia from 1921 to 1934 1888–1934 · 19th century
  12. 12 Alexander Pope Alexander Pope English poet (1688–1744) 17th century
  13. 13 Alexander IV of Macedon Alexander IV of Macedon King of Macedonia from 323/2 to 309 BC -323–-309 · Antiquity
  14. 14 Alexander Kolchak Alexander Kolchak Russian admiral and White movement leader (1874–1920) 19th century
  15. 15 Alexander Suvorov Alexander Suvorov Russian military commander (1729/30–1800) 1730–1800 · 18th century
  16. 16 Alexander Nevsky Alexander Nevsky Grand Prince of Vladimir from 1252 to 1263 1220–1263 · Medieval
  17. 17 Alexander Selkirk Alexander Selkirk 18th-century Scottish sailor and castaway 1676–1721 · 17th century
  18. 18 Alexander Calder Alexander Calder American sculptor (1898–1976) 19th century
  19. 19 Alexander Scriabin Alexander Scriabin Russian composer and pianist (1872–1915) 1871–1915 · 19th century
  20. 20 Alexander of Greece Alexander of Greece King of Greece from 1917 to 1920 1893–1920 · 19th century

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Alexander?

The median living Alexander is about 24 years old. Half of all living Alexanders are between 14 and 33 years old.

How many people named Alexander are alive today?

An estimated 680 thousand people named Alexander are alive in the United States, based on 740,668 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Alexander mean?

Alexander is a masculine name of Greek origin.

How popular is the name Alexander in 2025?

Alexander ranked #30 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 7,230 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Alexander?

740,668 babies have been named Alexander in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Alexander most popular?

Alexander peaked in 1993, when 20,708 newborns received the name.

Is Alexander a boy or girl name?

Alexander is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 99% of babies with the name.

Is the name Alexander rising or falling?

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

Will Alexander become more popular?

Alexander is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 5,809 boys named Alexander in 2030, which would rank around #51. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Alexander?

Well-known people named Alexander include Alexander the Great (military personnel), Alexander II of Russia (politician), Alexander III of Russia (politician).

Names like Alexander

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

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