Alex
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Meaning
a short form of Alexander or Alexandra, inheriting "defender of men" through those names; also used for other names beginning Alex
The story
Alex is used for men and women as a short form of Alexander, Alexandra and other names beginning with Alex. Through Alexander and Alexandra, it inherits Greek elements meaning "defend" or "help" and "man", usually translated as "defender of men". Other longer names can give Alex a different full history.
One unusually well-studied Alex was an African grey parrot who worked with researcher Irene Pepperberg from 1977 until his death in 2007. He learned spoken labels for objects, colors and some materials, counted small sets up to six, and asked people for things. Those abilities did not mean that he used language just as a person does.
The Alex Foundation also records a less formal side of his life: cardboard boxes, key chains and corks were among his favorite toys.
The formal names behind Alex
Alex is an established short form of each of these names.
Alexander · Greek origin · defender of men, from Greek Alexandros, combining words for "defend, help" and "man"
Alexandra · Greek origin · feminine form of Alexander, with the inherited Greek meaning "defender of men"
Alejandra · Spanish origin · the Spanish form of Alexandra, the feminine of Alexander, with the inherited meaning "defender of men"
Alexis · Greek origin · helper, defender
Alexandria · Greek origin · feminine form of Alexander, "defender of men"; also associated with the Egyptian city named for Alexander of Macedon
Alex across languages
One shared root links 18 names across 7 languages.
Shared root: from Greek Alexandros, "defender of men"; Alexander the Great’s fame and medieval stories helped spread the name in Europe
The constellation
14 more branches of this family
How popular is Alex around the world?
In the United States, 11,862 babies were named Alex between 2020 and 2025. In Ireland, 128 boys named Alex were born in 2025, the 37th most common name among boys that year.
Alex is on the official records of the United States, Ireland, Montevideo, Brazil, South Australia, Spain, Poland, Mexico City, Scotland, Chile, Puerto Rico, Argentina, Norway, New Zealand, Canada, England and Wales, Austria and France.
Alex crosses languages: it is in the latest top 300 of an English-speaking birth record, of a Spanish-speaking one and of Brazil’s 2022 census, which counts people of every age. The full lists: English and Spanish · English and Portuguese · Spanish and Portuguese
United States
1 in 1,800
In the United States, 11,862 babies were named Alex between 2020 and 2025.
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Alex peaked in the 2000s. Alex went to 3,300 US babies in 2015 and 1,586 in 2025, 48% of the earlier figure.
Births with a Social Security record. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration
Ireland
1 in 380
In Ireland, 128 boys named Alex were born in 2025, the 37th most common name among boys that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
Exact registered spellings from Irish vital statistics; any name under 3 in a year is withheld at source, and accented spellings (fadas) are recorded reliably only from 2018. Source: Central Statistics Office (Ireland), Irish babies' names
Montevideo City
1 in 6502011
In Montevideo, 38 boys named Alex were born in 2011, spelling variants counted together.
share of that year’s births on record
Births in the department of Montevideo (not all of Uruguay) by first name and year of birth, 1940–2011, from the city’s civil registry, which writes names in capitals, almost always without accents; counted as spelling groups (accent and punctuation variants merged), nothing is withheld at source, and 2012 is excluded as a partial year. Source: Servicio de Registro Civil, Intendencia de Montevideo, Partidas de Registro Civil de Montevideo (Licencia de Datos Abiertos - Uruguay); 2012 dropped as partial
Brazil
1 in 690
At the 2022 census, 294,567 people in Brazil were named Alex, the 101st most common name, with a median age of 32.
Among people named Alex living in Brazil at the 2022 census, more were born in the 1980s than in any other decade.
people alive at the 2022 census, by decade of birth
The census also counted 4,185 born between 2020 and August 2022, too recent a span to chart. People alive and resident in Brazil at the 2022 census, a living-population count, not births; names under 20 are withheld at source. Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022
South Australia
1 in 8002017
In South Australia, 20 boys were registered as Alex in 2017.
share of that year’s name registrations
Births registered in South Australia (not all of Australia) by first name and year of registration, 1944–2017, from the state’s Births, Deaths and Marriages registry, which publishes every name down to a single birth in capitals; a spelling its export repeats inside a year is counted once, and from 2018 only a top 100 is published, so the series ends at 2017. Source: Consumer and Business Services (South Australia), popular baby names
Spain
1 in 840
In Spain, 53,051 residents are named Alex, the 78th most common name among men, with a mean age of 17.4 years.
In Spain, Alex was the 23rd most common name among boys born in 2024.
Residents of Spain on 1 January 2025. Spain publishes how old a name’s living bearers are, not a birth series, so there is no year chart. Source: INE (Spain), Censo de Población anual, 1 January 2025
Poland
1 in 1,200
In Poland, 198 boys named Alex were born in 2025, the 88th most common name among boys that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
First names given to children born in Poland by year of birth, 2000–2025, from the PESEL population register (Ministry of Digital Affairs); exact spellings count separately (Łukasz and Lukasz are different names), names given fewer than 5 times in a year were left off the list through 2012 and fewer than 2 times from 2013, and the register also counts children born abroad, so its yearly sums run above Poland’s live births. Shares divide by the register’s own published total for the year, never by births. Source: Ministry of Digital Affairs, PESEL register (dane.gov.pl)
Mexico City City
1 in 1,300
In Mexico City, there were 94 registrations of Alex in 2022.
share of that year’s registrations in the city
Civil-registry acts in Mexico City by registration year. Counts are lower bounds (names under 6 in a month and borough are removed at source) and count name-instances, not people; compound names are split, so “Maria Jose” counts under each part. 2023 (5 registrations through 3 Mar) is excluded as partial. Source: Registro Civil of Mexico City, open data portal, registered given names 2000-2023
Scotland
1 in 1,300
In Scotland, 36 boys named Alex were registered in 2024, the 135th most common name among boys that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
Births registered in Scotland; different spellings count separately but accents are merged at source, and any spelling under 3 in total is suppressed. Source: National Records of Scotland, babies' first names
Chile
1 in 1,300
In Chile, 137 boys were registered as Alex in 2021, every accent spelling counted together.
share of that year’s name registrations
First-name registrations with Chile’s civil registry by year of registration, 1920–2021, counted as spelling groups (Sofía, Sofia and Sofìa are one name, shown with its most-registered spelling); the registry withholds nothing, nametree keeps the groups that reached 5 registrations in some year, and shares divide by every registration of the year. Source: Servicio de Registro Civil e Identificación (Chile) via the guaguas package, first-name registrations 1920-2021
Puerto Rico
1 in 1,400
In Puerto Rico, 13 babies were named Alex in 2025, and 2,477 have carried the name since 1998.
share of that year’s births on record
First given name only, from Social Security records of births in Puerto Rico; any name-sex-year under 5 births is withheld at source. Shares divide by the Puerto Rico Demographic Registry’s count of births on the island; the 2025 count is provisional. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, territory name file (Puerto Rico)
Argentina
1 in 1,500
In Argentina, 449 newborns were given the name Alex in 2024.
share of that year’s name registrations
Given-name components of births in Argentina 2012–2024; national cells are lower bounds and no sex split is published. Source: RENAPER (Argentina), Dirección Nacional de Población, given names 2012-2024
Norway
1 in 1,900register 2026
In Norway, 15 boys were given the name Alex in 2025.
share of the boys on the register for that year, SSB’s own figure
People who have or have had a Norwegian ID number, emigrants left out, from Statistics Norway’s name statistics (release of January 2026): by year of birth for 1945–2020 (everyone born that year who was ever registered in Norway, including people who registered later and people who have since died) and by year of naming from 2021; only first names carried by 200 or more living people are listed, counts under 4 are withheld, and SSB merges spellings that differ only by letters outside the Norwegian alphabet. The shares are SSB’s own, of the people of that sex and year in that count; the 2025 figure counts the children named that year, and no year is a count of births. Source: Statistics Norway (SSB), table 10467 (updated 2026-01-28)
New Zealand
1 in 2,100
In New Zealand, 28 boys named Alex were registered in 2025.
share of that year’s name registrations
First given names from New Zealand birth registrations, grouped by registration year; any name under 10 in a year is excluded at source. Shares divide by Stats NZ’s count of births registered to mothers living in New Zealand, under 1% below the registry’s own count. Source: Department of Internal Affairs (New Zealand), baby name popularity over time
Canada
1 in 2,200
In Canada, 160 boys named Alex were born in 2024, the 208th most common name among boys that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
First given names from provincial and territorial vital statistics across Canada; any name-sex-year under 5 is excluded at source, and small Quebec counts carry a randomized adjustment made at source. Shares divide by Statistics Canada’s count of live births for the year; the 2024 count is preliminary. Source: Statistics Canada, first names at birth (table 17-10-0147-01)
England and Wales
1 in 2,300
In England and Wales, 243 boys named Alex were born in 2025, the 207th most common name among boys that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
Birth registrations in England and Wales (not the whole UK); exact spellings are counted separately, and any spelling under 3 in a year is withheld at source. Source: Office for National Statistics, baby names in England and Wales
Austria
1 in 3,600
In Austria, 21 boys named Alex were born in 2025, the 275th most common name among boys that year, spellings that differ only by special characters counted together.
share of that year’s births on record
Live births in Austria by year of birth, 1984–2025, from Statistik Austria’s first-name statistics; spellings that differ only by special characters are counted together (umlauts stay apart), every name down to a single birth is published, and the count covers babies with Austrian citizenship only until 2009, every baby from 2010, and from 2015 also births abroad to mothers living in Austria. Shares divide by Statistik Austria’s count of live births from 2010, and before that by the file’s own total for the year. Source: Statistik Austria - data.statistik.gv.at (OGDEXT_VORNAMEN_1, updated 2026-07-09)
France
1 in 3,800
In France, about 160 boys named Alex were born in 2025, the 326th most common name among boys that year.
share of that year’s births on record
Births in France by year of birth, from INSEE’s fichier des prénoms (1900–2025; Mayotte from 2012); exact spellings count separately (Léo and Leo are different names), any spelling under 3 in a year and sex is withheld at source, every count is rounded to the nearest 5 at source, and nametree keeps the spellings that reached 20 in some year. Shares divide by INSEE’s count of births in France from 1957, and before that by the file’s own total for the year; INSEE says the file is not complete before 1946. Source: Insee, fichier des prénoms (last updated 2026-07-16)
New South Wales
outside the top 100
Alex is not in the 2025 top 100 for New South Wales.
share of that year’s top-100 registrations
New South Wales (not all of Australia) publishes only each year’s 100 most popular names per sex, so a missing year means below that top 100, not rare. Source: NSW Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, popular baby names
When you meet Alex
Most people given the name Alex in the United States were born between 1980 and 2009. The Alex you meet today is most often in his 20s or 30s.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
Keep exploring
Names like Alex · Names that go with Alex · Middle names for Alex · Action sports names · Names of soccer legends · Short names · What is Alex short for? · Climbers and fallers
The Alex deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Alex truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Alex fits with your family’s names and surname.
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