Alex

Meaning: Defender, protector
Origin: Greek

Boy's name · #232 in the US (2025) · 90s wave

94% boys · 6% girls — Alex is also given to girls: 71 in 2025, about 1 in 18 in recent years. Alex →

Popularity over time

Alex reached #47 in 1995 and has eased to #232 since. About 286,000 boys have carried it since 1880. In all that time it has never once missed a year of the national records.

Across the states

See where Alex is more common.

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 46 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Around the world

See how Alex ranks in other countries and regions.

#17 in Slovakia (2025) · #24 in Spain (2024) · #37 in Hungary (2025) · #37 in Ireland (2025) · #50 in Czechia (2025) · #64 in Ecuador (2025) · #88 in Poland (2025) · #118 in Slovenia (2025) · #122 in Puerto Rico (2025) · #134 in Switzerland (2025) · #159 in N. Ireland (2025) · #166 in Netherlands (2025) and 10 more.

Famous Alexes

Alex Ferguson — Scottish association football manager and player
Alex Salmond — Alba Party leader and First Minister of Scotland 2007–2014 (1954–2024)
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain — English association football player (born 1993)
Alex Turner — British musician (born 1986)
Alex Song — Cameroonian and French footballer

In stories & tradition

Alex (Flash Gordon) — Flash Gordon (comics)
Alex (Havok) — X-Men (comics)
Alex (Alexander Mahone) — Prison Break (TV series)

What Alexes become

Among 6,900 notable people named Alex:

Sports figures appear 2.02× more often than among typical names — e.g. Alex Ferguson, Scottish association football manager and player.

Similar names: Alec · Nathaniel · Alexis · Seth · Jesus · Adam

Browse more boy names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

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