Boy · #35 in 2026

Alexander

Name: Popularity of the name Alexander in U.S. births, 1880–2026
Creator: U.S. Social Security Administration
License: https://www.ssa.gov/foia/
Keywords: Alexander, baby name, popularity, U.S., SSA, rankings

Alexander is a masculine name of Greek origin. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history.

Current Rank

#35

Peak Rank

#4 (1993)

Total Babies

743K

5-Yr Trend

-31%

1909

First Year

2026

Last Year

1988

Peak Year

#602

Peak Rank

Total Count

Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Alexander

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

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

Etymology

The name Alexander originates from the Ancient Greek : Ἀλέξανδρος ( Aléxandros ; 'defending men' or 'protector of men'). It is a compound of the verb ἀλέξειν ( aléxein ; 'to ward off, avert, defend') and the noun ἀνήρ ( anḗr , genitive : ἀνδρός , andrós ; meaning 'man'). The earliest attested form of the name, is the Mycenaean Greek feminine anthroponym 𐀀𐀩𐀏𐀭𐀅𐀨 , a-re-ka-sa-da-ra , (/ Alexandra /), written in the Linear B syllabic script. Alaksandu , alternatively called Alakasandu or Alaksandus , was a king of Wilusa who sealed a treaty with the Hittite king Muwatalli II c. 1280 BC; this

The Story of Alexander

Alexander first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1880, with 211 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1993, when 20,529 Alexanders were born — ranking #21 that year. As of 2026, Alexander ranks #35 for baby boys with 6,852 births, falling sharply (-31%). In total, more than 743K Alexanders have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

Top 10

11-50

51-100

101-500

500+

No data

Notable people named Alexander

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

Technoblade (1999–2022), American YouTuber, real name Alexander, surname not made public
Alexander (1927–2023), British sculptor and conceptual artist
Alexander Aigner (1909–1988), Austrian mathematician
Aleksandr Akimov (1953–1986), Russian nuclear engineer who died in Chernobyl
Alexander Albon (born 1996), Thai-British racing driver
Alexander Vasilyevich Alexandrov (1883–1946), Russian composer
Aleksander Allila (1890–?), Finnish politician
Alexander Argov (1914–1995), Russian-born Israeli composer

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

Names that sound like Alexander

Phonetically similar names — useful when Alexander 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 Alexander

What does the name Alexander mean?

How popular is Alexander in 2026?

In 2026, Alexander ranks #35 among boys' names in the U.S., with 6,852 babies given the name that year.

When was Alexander most popular?

Alexander reached its peak popularity in 1993, ranking #4 that year with 20,529 babies given the name.

In which U.S. states is Alexander most popular?

Alexander has historically been most popular in Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Alexander.

Is Alexander a unisex name?

In U.S. Social Security records, Alexander is primarily a boy's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a girl's name.

What names go well with Alexander?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Alexander include Charles, George, Theodore. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Alexander

Alexander is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 743K births in the dataset. Alexander's peak popularity came in 1993 when it ranked #4. Use the chart and map above to compare Alexander'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.