girl's name
Alexa
uh-LEK-suh
- Origin Greek
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 3
- Letters 5
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 146,604
Northern Ireland
#204
2018 births
Alexa did not simply collapse when Amazon launched the Echo — it rose first. Births jumped 43 percent in 2015, the year after, then fell 94 percent over the next nine years. Our data holds both halves.
- Alexa is a name of Greek origin.
- Peaked in 2006, when 6,125 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 13,643 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1916.
- 3 syllables, with the stress on syllable 2.
Alexa over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1910s 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 |
|---|---|
| 1910s | 10 |
| 1920s | 45 |
| 1930s | 17 |
| 1940s | 219 |
| 1950s | 409 |
| 1960s | 441 |
| 1970s | 1,564 |
| 1980s | 4,817 |
| 1990s | 30,368 |
| 2000s | 48,220 |
| 2010s | 42,066 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 3,659 |
What Alexa means
Alexa means defender of man, or one who defends. The Greek joins a verb meaning to ward off to the word for a man, so the name describes an act of protection.
Where Alexa comes from
Alexa shortens Alexandra, the feminine of Alexander, from the Greek alexein, to defend or ward off, joined to aner, a man — defender of men. Alexander the Great carried it across Asia, which is why Iskandar exists in Persian, Arabic and Malay, and why Kandahar in Afghanistan is thought to preserve it. Homer gives Paris of Troy the alternative name Alexandros, and Linear B tablets record it centuries before Homer wrote, making it one of the oldest continuously used names in Europe.
Alexa in use
Alexa peaked in the United States in 2006 at 6,117 births, and what happened after Amazon's Echo launched in November 2014 is unusual enough to state precisely. Births ran 4,256 in 2014, then jumped to 6,067 in 2015 — within one percent of the all-time peak — before falling every year since: 4,775, 3,896, 3,068, 2,002, 1,285, 708, 577, 492 and 349 in 2024. That is a 94 percent fall in nine years from a high the device itself helped create. It now ranks 1030th in the United States on 243 births, 4632nd in England and Wales and 6619th in France, across 146,604 lifetime births.
How popular is Alexa?
In 2025, Alexa was given to 243 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Alexa 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 Alexa
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Alexa also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Alexa over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
2 nicknames for Alexa
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.
Alexa 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 Alexa
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Alexa — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Alexa
What does the name Alexa mean?
Defender of man — the Greek alexein, to ward off, joined to aner, a man.
Did Amazon's Alexa kill the name?
Eventually, but not immediately. Births rose 43 percent in 2015, the year after the Echo launched, then fell 94 percent over the next nine years.
How far has Alexa fallen?
From 6,067 American births in 2015 to 349 in 2024.
Is Alexa short for Alexandra?
Yes, though it is widely registered as a full name in its own right.
How popular is the name Alexa?
In 2025, Alexa was given to 243 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Is Alexa a girl's or a boy's name?
Alexa is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Alexa?
Alexa has 3 syllables.
When was Alexa most popular?
Alexa peaked in 2006, when 6,125 babies were given the name. It has been falling over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Alexa?
Alexa is usually shortened to Lexi and Alex.
Is Alexa a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Alexa currently ranks #1,030 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.