Alex

#2,485 for girls in 2025, 71 births · #232 for boys in 2025, 1,515 births
Given to boys 96.7% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · boys
1995 · 7,424 births
Debut · boys
147 births
In top 100 · boys
33 yrs
of 146 years
Total births · boys
286,169
since 1880

Alex over time

boys

Rank among boys' names. Click any year to open it.

#1#10#100rank188019001920194019601980200020201940peak #47, 1995boys
Hover or use arrow keys to read values by year; click or press Enter to open that year.

Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.

Show data table
Yeargirlsboys
rankbirthsrankbirths
2025#2,48571#2321,515
2024#2,15088#2051,728
2023#1,965100#2031,814
2022#1,478148#1892,006
2021#1,612130#1921,969
2020#1,294171#1832,122
2019#1,460151#1652,401
2018#1,325171#1532,526
2017#1,251189#1512,606
2016#1,338177#1462,855
2015#1,287187#1343,113
2014#1,422160#1283,192
2013#1,509146#1103,559
2012#1,629132#983,870
2011#1,370168#954,041
2010#1,352173#934,442
2009#1,366174#835,174
2008#1,405169#845,400
2007#1,277192#726,275
2006#1,083234#676,670
2005#1,042229#716,488
2004#982242#636,812
2003#1,038220#626,794
2002#977226#636,807
2001#981219#626,613
2000#913239#626,748
1999#786279#586,828
1998#771279#556,954
1997#674322#556,855
1996#637352#536,915
1995#537441#477,424
1994#581394#507,240
1993#562425#527,639
1992#618366#547,351
1991#611369#636,673
1990#802250#596,951
1989#789241#606,543
1988#705270#586,408
1987#829210#606,042
1986#1,055143#645,111
1985#1,44586#803,909
1984#1,36886#933,026
1983#3,06527#1232,155
1982#2,18546#1431,964
1981#2,77432#1481,873
1980#2,94030#1561,681
1979#3,77720#1561,656
1978#4,24216#1641,468
1977#3,36622#1531,610
1976#3,00224#1721,359
1975#4,59313#1751,327
1974#2,92224#1711,385
1973#3,01522#1841,246
1972#3,54317#1961,182
1971#4,12314#1881,361
1970#3,87215#1911,403
1969#3,95813#2071,212
1968#3,45615#2001,163
1967#3,65613#2051,130
1966#5,8096#2181,023
1965#3,95211#2001,246
1964#3,51514#2181,240
1963#4,8968#2151,306
1962#3,59213#2171,267
1961#2,67321#2281,217
1960#2,98917#2261,230
1959#3,61912#2341,164
1958#3,23214#2451,019
1957#3,93010#253896
1956#4,8377#253809
1955#5,2086#263712
1954#4,2788#259743
1953#3,26912#260716
1952#4,4837#258700
1951#3,7149#254690
1950#3,6629#244749
1949#3,39310#242730
1948#3,35010#234764
1947#3,24011#228794
1946#225706
1945#217639
1944#3,6877#221620
1943#3,8017#222660
1942#4,1246#215681
1941#210641
1940#3,8636#208620
1939#4,2505#204597
1938#4,3425#206601
1937#4,2555#211564
1936#210564
1935#3,4317#207581
1934#2,56711#198623
1933#4,2185#197606
1932#4,4115#192683
1931#2,9729#182727
1930#2,42513#180760
1929#1,95318#180775
1928#4,1956#179799
1927#2,09518#169888
1926#3,04610#179805
1925#4,9735#165903
1924#5,0615#162978
1923#4,3766#161940
1922#3,6558#1551,003
1921#3,6668#1491,022
1920#2,89911#1421,069
1919#4,8145#1371,082
1918#3,5128#1311,207
1917#3,7137#1321,081
1916#3,2588#1281,094
1915#2,52611#1311,008
1914#131789
1913#130604
1912#135482
1911#129268
1910#127256
1909#123227
1908#127199
1907#127186
1906#122176
1905#133166
1904#125169
1903#135138
1902#125154
1901#120138
1900#120192
1899#122133
1898#125149
1897#128130
1896#112165
1895#117143
1894#112152
1893#120133
1892#110163
1891#109133
1890#111147
1889#114127
1888#102167
1887#104136
1886#96161
1885#92159
1884#105148
1883#108120
1882#89172
1881#109114
1880#92147
First appearance
1880

In the first year the SSA published name data, Alex was already there! It came in at #92, and was given to 147 baby boys.


Quietest stretch: 1880–1881, when fewer than 150 boys a year got the name.

See more about Alex
Momentum · boys
Falling
  • 27 spots since 2024 (#205#232)
  • 49 spots since 2020 (#183#232)
  • 98 spots since 2015 (#134#232)
  • Biggest jump: 30 spots in 1984 (#123#93)
  • Biggest drop: 27 spots in 2025 (#205#232)
Rise & fade · boys
115 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1880
  • Peaked 1995 at #47 (7,424 births)
  • Births halved by 2013, 18 yrs later
Top of the charts · boys
Top 100 for 33 yrs
  • Top 10: never
  • Top 100: 33 yrs · run 1984–2012
  • Top 1,000: 146 yrs · run 1880–2025
Share of babies · boys
1 in 256
  • Highest: 1 in 256 boys born in 1995 were named Alex (0.39%)
  • Latest: 1 in 1,127 boys born in 2025 (0.09%)
Era · boys
The 1990s
  • 24.8% of all boys named Alex (70,830) were born in this decade
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1880s1,451#89 (1882)#101
1890s1,448#109 (1891)#117
1900s1,745#120 (1900)#126
1910s7,871#127 (1910)#131
1920s9,182#142 (1920)#164
1930s6,306#180 (1930)#199
1940s6,855#208 (1940)#222
1950s8,198#234 (1959)#252
1960s12,034#200 (1965)#213
1970s13,997#153 (1977)#175
1980s38,712#58 (1988)#99
1990s70,830#47 (1995)#55
2000s63,781#62 (2003)#69
2010s32,605#93 (2010)#127
2020s11,154#183 (2020)#201

All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 boys in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.

Alex in 1940

girls
#3,863
6 births · 1 in 190,588 girls
boys
#208
620 births · 1 in 1,870 boys

Top girls' names in 1940

  1. #1Mary56,216
  2. #2Barbara36,736
  3. #3Patricia32,665
  4. #4Judith22,385
  5. #5Betty22,077
  6. #6Carol21,759
  7. #7Nancy19,737
  8. #8Linda18,370
  9. #9Shirley17,881
  10. #10Sandra16,153
  11. #3,863Alex6

Top boys' names in 1940

  1. #1James62,481
  2. #2Robert61,198
  3. #3John54,786
  4. #4William44,779
  5. #5Richard37,425
  6. #6Charles31,689
  7. #7David27,690
  8. #8Thomas23,991
  9. #9Donald23,115
  10. #10Ronald20,741
  11. #208Alex620
More about 1940

girls

1,143,528 girls got a published name in 1940; 1 in 190,588 of them was named Alex, which outranked 23.2% of the 5,028 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 23.1% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Alex
  1. #3,503Zelta7
  2. #3,503Zenaida7
  3. #3,503Zonnie7
  4. #3,863Alex6
  5. #3,863Adina6
  6. #3,863Adra6
  7. #3,863Adrain6
  8. #4,349Abelina5
  9. #4,349Adair5
  10. #4,349Adel5

Tied with 485 names at #3,863; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1939
Risers
  1. 2,494Scarlett#3,429#935
  2. 1,465Lonna#2,206#741
  3. 834Pam#1,797#963
  4. 659Jody#1,638#979
  5. 633Laraine#1,474#841
Fallers
  1. 481Fredia#996#1,477
  2. 430Eleanora#974#1,404
  3. 375Danielle#811#1,186
  4. 342Eloisa#930#1,272
  5. 298Coral#996#1,294

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

boys

1,159,172 boys got a published name in 1940; 1 in 1,870 of them was named Alex, which outranked 94.7% of the 3,937 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 33.5% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Alex
  1. #205Ira625
  2. #206Rudolph622
  3. #207Doyle621
  4. #208Alex620
  5. #209Willis609
  6. #210Leland608
  7. #211Laurence604
Biggest movers since 1939
Risers
  1. 565Whitney#1,458#893
  2. 447Gonzalo#1,297#850
  3. 419Weston#1,323#904
  4. 368Ashley#1,272#904
  5. 366Agustin#1,238#872
Fallers
  1. 886Montie#916#1,802
  2. 446Verlon#888#1,334
  3. 394Issac#857#1,251
  4. 392Otho#942#1,334
  5. 384Pearl#867#1,251

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

See the top 100 for 1940