Boy nameCurrently #27 in the USFalling
Alexander
al-ig-ZAN-der//ˌælɪɡˈzændər//
4 syllablesPeak year: 19939 lettersStarts with A
Meaning & origin
Defender of mankind
Alexander comes from Greek elements meaning 'to defend' and 'man', made legendary by Alexander the Great, whose conquests spread the name across the ancient world. Long, dignified, and versatile, it remains one of the most consistently popular boys' names in history.
Alexander's popularity over time
| Year | Births named Alexander |
|---|---|
| 1880 | 211 |
| 1881 | 209 |
| 1882 | 225 |
| 1883 | 187 |
| 1884 | 236 |
| 1885 | 205 |
| 1886 | 206 |
| 1887 | 180 |
| 1888 | 237 |
| 1889 | 185 |
| 1890 | 202 |
| 1891 | 172 |
| 1892 | 202 |
| 1893 | 218 |
| 1894 | 199 |
| 1895 | 199 |
| 1896 | 232 |
| 1897 | 172 |
| 1898 | 180 |
| 1899 | 178 |
| 1900 | 260 |
| 1901 | 162 |
| 1902 | 216 |
| 1903 | 195 |
| 1904 | 203 |
| 1905 | 210 |
| 1906 | 204 |
| 1907 | 279 |
| 1908 | 246 |
| 1909 | 260 |
| 1910 | 324 |
| 1911 | 426 |
| 1912 | 803 |
| 1913 | 942 |
| 1914 | 1,176 |
| 1915 | 1,443 |
| 1916 | 1,593 |
| 1917 | 1,669 |
| 1918 | 1,598 |
| 1919 | 1,429 |
| 1920 | 1,481 |
| 1921 | 1,533 |
| 1922 | 1,359 |
| 1923 | 1,299 |
| 1924 | 1,386 |
| 1925 | 1,230 |
| 1926 | 1,150 |
| 1927 | 1,102 |
| 1928 | 1,056 |
| 1929 | 995 |
| 1930 | 877 |
| 1931 | 795 |
| 1932 | 781 |
| 1933 | 659 |
| 1934 | 622 |
| 1935 | 702 |
| 1936 | 618 |
| 1937 | 675 |
| 1938 | 673 |
| 1939 | 723 |
| 1940 | 760 |
| 1941 | 818 |
| 1942 | 860 |
| 1943 | 925 |
| 1944 | 864 |
| 1945 | 896 |
| 1946 | 972 |
| 1947 | 1,081 |
| 1948 | 1,130 |
| 1949 | 1,189 |
| 1950 | 1,172 |
| 1951 | 1,212 |
| 1952 | 1,292 |
| 1953 | 1,266 |
| 1954 | 1,236 |
| 1955 | 1,178 |
| 1956 | 1,234 |
| 1957 | 1,271 |
| 1958 | 1,197 |
| 1959 | 1,175 |
| 1960 | 1,211 |
| 1961 | 1,236 |
| 1962 | 1,228 |
| 1963 | 1,314 |
| 1964 | 1,301 |
| 1965 | 1,331 |
| 1966 | 1,377 |
| 1967 | 1,465 |
| 1968 | 1,789 |
| 1969 | 2,037 |
| 1970 | 2,481 |
| 1971 | 2,380 |
| 1972 | 2,135 |
| 1973 | 2,290 |
| 1974 | 2,395 |
| 1975 | 2,468 |
| 1976 | 2,477 |
| 1977 | 2,735 |
| 1978 | 2,775 |
| 1979 | 3,094 |
| 1980 | 3,332 |
| 1981 | 4,294 |
| 1982 | 4,675 |
| 1983 | 4,884 |
| 1984 | 6,611 |
| 1985 | 8,445 |
| 1986 | 10,817 |
| 1987 | 12,053 |
| 1988 | 13,669 |
| 1989 | 14,761 |
| 1990 | 16,417 |
| 1991 | 17,831 |
| 1992 | 20,278 |
| 1993 | 20,707 |
| 1994 | 20,262 |
| 1995 | 19,597 |
| 1996 | 18,056 |
| 1997 | 17,192 |
| 1998 | 17,548 |
| 1999 | 17,516 |
| 2000 | 17,354 |
| 2001 | 16,769 |
| 2002 | 17,802 |
| 2003 | 17,769 |
| 2004 | 18,040 |
| 2005 | 18,191 |
| 2006 | 18,286 |
| 2007 | 18,189 |
| 2008 | 18,754 |
| 2009 | 18,287 |
| 2010 | 16,811 |
| 2011 | 15,750 |
| 2012 | 15,285 |
| 2013 | 14,952 |
| 2014 | 15,477 |
| 2015 | 14,605 |
| 2016 | 13,463 |
| 2017 | 12,595 |
| 2018 | 12,129 |
| 2019 | 11,348 |
| 2020 | 10,271 |
| 2021 | 9,439 |
| 2022 | 8,754 |
| 2023 | 7,920 |
| 2024 | 7,527 |
Alexander through the decades
- Alexander peaked in 1993, when 20,707 babies were named Alexander in the US.
- Over the last 10 years of data (2015–2024), use of Alexander has fallen 36% compared to the 10 years before that.
- Alexander currently ranks #27 in the US and is cooling off.
Nicknames
AlexXander
Variants & spellings
AlessandroAlejandro
Famous people named Alexander
- Alexander the Great — Macedonian king and conqueror
Names like Alexander
Similar-sounding names.