boy's name
Alessio
ah-LESS-yo
- Origin Italian
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 4
- Letters 7
- Popularity Top 1000 (France)
- Births on record 15,358
the United States
#869
2025 births
Alessio is a boy's name of Greek origin meaning "defender," the Italian form of Alexis. It ranks sixty-fourth in France, and its peak in our records is the most recent year we hold, so it is still climbing.
- Alessio is a name of Italian origin.
- Peaked in France in 2022, when 1,185 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade in France.
- Today about 1 in 674 babies in France is given this name.
- First appears in birth records in 1962.
- 4 syllables, with the stress on syllable 2.
Alessio over time
Births per decade in France, 1960s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1960s | 20 |
| 1970s | 10 |
| 1980s | 20 |
| 1990s | 95 |
| 2000s | 915 |
| 2010s | 4,040 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 5,845 |
What Alessio means
Alessio means defender, or helper. It comes from the Greek alexein, to defend or ward off, the same element behind Alexander, and describes protection rather than conquest.
Where Alessio comes from
Alessio is the Italian form of Alexis, from the Greek Alexios, from alexein, to defend. Saint Alexius of Rome is the subject of one of the most widely told medieval legends: he abandons his wedding to live as a beggar, returns years later unrecognized and lives beneath the stairs of his own family's house until his death. The story spread across Europe in dozens of vernacular versions and made the name common in Italy, Russia and Spain. Alessio's presence in the French top hundred belongs to the broad current fashion for Italian forms, which has also carried Ezio, Luca and Livio into French use.
Alessio in use
Alessio ranks sixty-fourth in France with about 925 births in 2025 and its peak in our records is that same year. It travels better than most Italian forms in the French list: 831 in England and Wales, 684 in Scotland, 759 in Ireland. Our data carries it from 1922. Its rise alongside Ezio is part of the same Italian fashion rather than two separate movements.
How popular is Alessio?
In 2025, Alessio was given to 875 babies in France, ranking #64 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Alessio is used
French counts are rounded to the nearest five and nothing below five is published, so these figures show the shape of the name's use rather than an exact tally. Data & sources.
How Alessio is spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Aléssio | Aléssio is Alessio written with an acute accent, used in France, where it ranks #938. | 290 |
| Alessïo | Alessïo is a rare spelling of Alessio, written with a diaeresis and recorded about 10 times, mostly in France. | 10 |
| Alëssio | Alëssio is a rare spelling of Alessio, written with a diaeresis and recorded about 10 times, mostly in France. | 10 |
Names that peaked alongside Alessio
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Alessio also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Alessio over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Alessio in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Alessio
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Alessio — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Alessio
What does the name Alessio mean?
Alessio means "defender," from the Greek alexein, to defend.
Is Alessio the Italian form of Alexis?
Yes, from the same Greek Alexios.
Who was Saint Alexius?
A Roman who abandoned his wedding to live as a beggar and returned unrecognized to his family's house.
Is Alessio still rising?
Yes. It ranks 64th in France and peaks in the most recent year we hold.
How popular is the name Alessio?
In 2025, Alessio was given to 875 babies in France, ranking #64 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Is Alessio a girl's or a boy's name?
Alessio is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Alessio?
Alessio has 4 syllables.
When was Alessio most popular?
Alessio peaked in 2022, when 1,185 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
Is Alessio a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Alessio currently ranks #64 in France. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.