Alex
A short form of Alexander and Alexandra, from Greek Alexandros, which joins a verb meaning to defend with a word for man.
Alex in 2025
Alex was given to 1,586 babies in the United States in 2025, making it the 432nd most popular name of the year. That is roughly one in every 2,090 babies born.
The history of Alex
Alex reached its highest point in 1993, when 8,064 babies were given the name, ranking 88th that year. Its best-ever ranking was 83rd, in 1995.
Across the 146 years of records since 1880, 295,991 babies have been named Alex. Half of them were born before 1995, which places the name's centre of gravity with Millennials.
Alex by decade
| Decade | Babies named Alex | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 1,451 | 207 |
| 1890s | 1,448 | 305 |
| 1900s | 1,745 | 352 |
| 1910s | 7,910 | 299 |
| 1920s | 9,277 | 333 |
| 1930s | 6,371 | 407 |
| 1940s | 6,912 | 460 |
| 1950s | 8,292 | 489 |
| 1960s | 12,165 | 434 |
| 1970s | 14,184 | 321 |
| 1980s | 39,883 | 110 |
| 1990s | 74,307 | 83 |
| 2000s | 65,925 | 96 |
| 2010s | 34,259 | 148 |
| 2020s | 11,862 | 300 |
Where Alex is heading
Alex has fallen 52% over the past decade, from 3,300 babies in 2015 to 1,586 in 2025.
Names like Alex
Names that rose and fell at the same time as Alex.