Alex: name meaning, origin & popularity
- Meaning
- “defender”
- Origin
- Greek
- Say it
- AL-eks · 2 syllables
- Used for
- Boys (97% of all uses)
Short form of Alexander, Alexandra, and related Greek names from alexein 'to defend'. It is widely used as an independent given name as well.
How popular is Alex?
Babies named Alex in 20241,809
2024 rank#205 boys
Peak year1995
Total US babies since 1880294,382
Alex is fading: recent use is about 57% of its level ten years before.
Names like Alex
Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.
- Alexanderdefender of men · Greek
- Alejandrodefender of men · Spanish
- Xanderdefending men · Greek
- Alexandradefender of men · Greek
- Zanderdefender of men · Greek
- Alessandradefending men · Italian
- Alexandriadefender of men · Greek
- Alejandradefender of mankind · Greek
Alex questions
What does the name Alex mean?
Alex means "defender". It comes from Greek. Short form of Alexander, Alexandra, and related Greek names from alexein 'to defend'. It is widely used as an independent given name as well.
Is Alex a boy or girl name?
Alex is mainly a boy's name in US records (97% of uses since 1880).
How popular is Alex?
1,809 US babies were named Alex in 2024. Its peak year was 1995.
How do you pronounce Alex?
Alex is usually pronounced AL-eks.
Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.