boy's name · in the US
Alex
AL-eks (English)
- Origin Greek
- Gender Boy (US)
- Syllables 2
- Letters 4
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 398,538
the United States
#232
2025 births
Alex is a name of Greek origin meaning "defender of mankind." It shortens Alexander or Alexandra, from alexein, to ward off, and andros, of a man — and it serves both sexes equally.
- Alex is a name of Greek origin.
- Peaked in 1993, when 8,064 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 2,090 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Alex Over Time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, which so far covers 2020 to 2025.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 1,451 |
| 1890s | 1,448 |
| 1900s | 1,745 |
| 1910s | 7,910 |
| 1920s | 9,277 |
| 1930s | 6,371 |
| 1940s | 6,912 |
| 1950s | 8,292 |
| 1960s | 12,165 |
| 1970s | 14,184 |
| 1980s | 39,883 |
| 1990s | 74,307 |
| 2000s | 65,925 |
| 2010s | 34,259 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 11,862 |
What Alex Means
Alex means one who defends people. The Greek alexein means to ward off or turn aside danger, so the sense is protection rather than attack.
Where Alex Comes From
Alex shortens Alexander or Alexandra, from the Greek Alexandros — alexein, to defend, and andros, of a man. The name predates Alexander the Great by centuries: it appears in Mycenaean Linear B tablets, and Homer uses Alexandros as a second name for Paris of Troy. Alexander's conquests carried it from Egypt to India, producing Iskandar in Arabic and Persian and Sikandar in Urdu. Alex is now registered independently far more often than as a nickname.
Alex in Use
Birth records show Alex falling, peaking in 1993, at 207 in England and Wales against 232 in the United States. It first appears in birth records in 1880. It is one of the most evenly balanced names on record across the two markets — a difference of twenty-five places, where many names differ by hundreds.
How Popular Is Alex?
In 2025, Alex was given to 1,586 babies in the United States, ranking #232 that year. It ranks among the top 1,000 names in the United States.
Where Alex Is Used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names That Peaked Alongside Alex
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents Who Like Alex Also Like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Alex over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Boys' or Girls' Name?
Alex is used differently depending on where you are. Each figure is the share of babies given the name who were girls, over the last ten years of that country's records.
- United States Boys' 6% girls · 22,938 babies
- England & Wales Boys' 3% girls · 5,296 babies
- Canada Boys' 7% girls · 2,756 babies
- France Boys' 3% girls · 2,645 babies
- Ireland Boys' 6% girls · 2,607 babies
- Scotland Both 18% girls · 634 babies
- Northern Ireland Boys' 10% girls · 461 babies
How to Say Alex
- English AL-eks /ˈalɛks/
2 nicknames for Alex
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Alex 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.
- Asturian
- Alexandra
- Bulgarian
- Aleksandra
- Catalan
- Alexandra
- Danish
- Alexander
- Galician
- Alexandra
- German
- Alexander
- Greek
- Alexandra
- Icelandic
- Alexander
- Latin
- Alexander
- Latvian
- Aleksandra
- Norwegian
- Alexander
- Polish
- Aleksandra Aleks
- Russian
- Aleksandra
- Serbian
- Aleksandra
- Serbo-Croatian
- Aleksandra
- Slovene
- Aleksandra Aleks
- Swedish
- Alexander
- Other forms
- Forms we hold no single language for — some are used across several, some are simply spelled differently.
- Alexi
Sibling Names for Alex
Names from the same era that do not rhyme or share an initial with Alex — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common Questions About Alex
What does the name Alex mean?
Alex means "defender of mankind," from the Greek alexein, to defend, and andros, of a man.
Is Alex a boy's or a girl's name?
Both. It shortens Alexander and Alexandra equally, and it is recorded as used for both.
How old is the name Alexander?
It appears in Mycenaean Linear B tablets over a thousand years before Alexander the Great.
How popular is the name Alex?
In 2025, Alex was given to 1,586 babies in the United States, ranking #232 that year. It ranks among the top 1,000 names in the United States.
How many syllables are in Alex?
Alex has 2 syllables.
When was Alex most popular?
Alex peaked in 1993, when 8,064 babies were given the name. It has been falling over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Alex?
Alex is usually shortened to Al and Lex.
Is Alex a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Alex currently ranks #37 in the United States. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.