Boys' name · peaked in 1995
Alex name popularity since 1925
278,387 babies born in the US from 1925 to 2025 were named Alex (3.5% girls, 96.5% boys). Half of them were born in 1996 or earlier, so the typical Alex is about 30 years old in 2026. Alex peaked in 1995 as the #47 name for boys, and it ranked #232 in 2025.
Key facts
- US babies since 1925
- 278,387
- Named Alex, 1925–2025
- In 2025
- #232
- for boys in 2025 (1,515 babies)
- Girls / boys
- 96.5% boys
- 9,745 girls · 268,642 boys
- Most popular in
- Nevada
- 1.74× its national share
Peak year is the year Alex made up the largest share of US boys, in records going back to 1880. Typical age is based on births from 1925 on, not on who is living today.
Alex births per year, 1925–2025
The biggest year by count was 1993. Measured as a share of all babies, Alex peaked in 1995.
- Fastest rise: Between 1982 and 1987, Alex became 3× more common, from 1 in 924 baby boys to 1 in 309.
- Steepest fall: Between 2009 and 2014, its share of baby boys fell by 36%, from 1 in 383 to 1 in 602.
Shaded on the chart. Both compare Alex's share of all US boys five years apart, counting only years with at least 100 babies named Alex.
Decade by decade
Babies named Alex in each decade, and its rank among boys' names in the middle year of the decade (1935, 1945 … 2025).
| Decade | Girls | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1925–29 | 57 | 4,170 | – |
| 1930s | 65 | 6,306 | #207 |
| 1940s | 57 | 6,855 | #217 |
| 1950s | 94 | 8,198 | #263 |
| 1960s | 131 | 12,034 | #200 |
| 1970s | 187 | 13,997 | #175 |
| 1980s | 1,171 | 38,712 | #80 |
| 1990s | 3,477 | 70,830 | #47 |
| 2000s | 2,144 | 63,781 | #71 |
| 2010s | 1,654 | 32,605 | #134 |
| 2020–25 | 708 | 11,154 | #232 |
Ranks count every name given to at least 5 boys that year, so they can go past 1,000.
Generation fingerprint
36.0% of babies named Alex from 1925 to 2025 were born in the Gen Z years (1997–2012). The full split by generation:
Where Alex is most popular
The index compares Alex's share of babies in each state with its share nationwide, 1925–2025 (1.50× = 50% more common). States with at least 300 babies named Alex.
| State | Index | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| Nevada | 1.74× | 1,714 |
| Arizona | 1.65× | 5,934 |
| New Mexico | 1.47× | 2,245 |
| Utah | 1.47× | 3,471 |
| California | 1.41× | 41,341 |
Names with a similar story
Of the other 499 names on this site, these six had the share of babies closest in shape to Alex's from 1925 to 2025, however common each one got. Each line is scaled to its own high; the dashed line is Alex.
Names from the same era
Other common names that peaked within two years of Alex (1995).
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration national and state baby-name data, which covers names given to at least 5 babies of one sex in a year. About the data