Boy · #1,014 in 2026

Alec

Alec or Aleck is a Scottish form of the given name Alex. It may be a shortened form of the name Alexander or a given name in its own right. Notable people with the name include:

Current Rank
#1,014
Peak Rank
#109 (1995)
Total Babies
55K
5-Yr Trend
-44%
1984
First Year
2016
Last Year
1995
Peak Year
#3087
Peak Rank
337
Total Count
25
Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Alec

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Alec or Aleck is a Scottish form of the given name Alex. It may be a shortened form of the name Alexander or a given name in its own right. Notable people with the name include:

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

The Story of Alec

Alec first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1880, with 11 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1995, when 3,420 Alecs were born — ranking #112 that year. As of 2026, Alec ranks #1,014 for baby boys with 220 births, falling sharply (-44%). In total, more than 55K Alecs have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

ME
WA
MT
ND
MN
WI
MI
NY
VT
NH
MA
OR
ID
SD
IA
IL
IN
OH
PA
NJ
CT
RI
CA
NV
WY
NE
MO
KY
WV
VA
MD
DE
DC
UT
CO
KS
AR
TN
NC
SC
AK
AZ
NM
OK
LA
MS
AL
GA
HI
TX
FL
Top 10
11-50
51-100
101-500
500+
No data

Notable people named Alec

A small selection from Wikipedia. Tap "Read more" below to see the full list on Wikipedia.

  • Alec Aalto (1942–2018), Finnish diplomat
  • Alec Acton (1938–1994), English footballer
  • Alec Albiston (1917–1998), Australian rules footballer
  • Alec Alston (1937–2009), English footballer
  • Alec and Peter Graham (1881–1957), New Zealand mountaineers, guides, and hotel operators
  • Alec Anderson (American football, born 1894) (1894–1953), American NFL player
  • Alec Anderson (American football, born 1999) (born 1999), American professional football player
  • Alec Ash (born 1986), British writer and editor

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

Names that sound like Alec

Phonetically similar names — useful when Alec is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Alec

What does the name Alec mean?
Alec or Aleck is a Scottish form of the given name Alex. It may be a shortened form of the name Alexander or a given name in its own right. Notable people with the name include:
How popular is Alec in 2026?
In 2026, Alec ranks #1,014 among boys' names in the U.S., with 220 babies given the name that year.
When was Alec most popular?
Alec reached its peak popularity in 1995, ranking #109 that year with 3,420 babies given the name.
In which U.S. states is Alec most popular?
Alec has historically been most popular in Nebraska, Rhode Island, South Dakota. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Alec.
Is Alec a unisex name?
In U.S. Social Security records, Alec is primarily a boy's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a girl's name.
What names go well with Alec?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Alec include Jess, Lorenzo, Kurt. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Alec

Alec is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 55K births in the dataset. Alec's peak popularity came in 1995 when it ranked #109. Use the chart and map above to compare Alec's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

Data sources

  • Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
  • Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
  • Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
  • Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
  • Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .

Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.