Alex
Pronounced AE1 L AH0 K S (ARPABET)
- 2 syllables
- Peaked 1993
- 145 years in use
- 2 spellings
How popular is Alex?
Alex is a boys' name, and has been in the record since the data starts in 1880. It has been given to 297,254 children — the 136th most common boys' name on record.
It is falling away, down 53% on the previous decade. Its best single year was 1993, when 7,647 children were given it.
Two other spellings are counted in that total — Allex and Alexs — because they are pronounced identically.
Spelling variants
These spellings sound identical to Alex and are counted together with it, which is why the totals here are higher than a single-spelling count.
- Allex
- Alexs
Nicknames
Alex is itself a short form of Alexander.
Characteristics
- 2 syllables
Phonetic detail
- Pronunciations:
- AE1 L AH0 K S · AE1 L L EH1 K S
- Stress pattern:
- 10 · 11
- Syllables:
- 2
Stress digits mark unstressed (0), primary (1) and secondary (2) syllables.
Names like Alex
Same first letter and syllable count, peaking around the same time.
Sibling names for Alex
Names from the same era with a matching rhythm but a different initial.
Frequently asked questions
- How popular is the name Alex?
- Alex ranks 136th among boys' names in US records, with 297,254 births since 1880. Over the past decade it accounts for 23,372.
- Is Alex a unisex name?
- No. Alex is recorded almost entirely as a boys' name; births to the other gender are too few to register as a share.
- When was Alex most popular?
- 1993, when 7,647 children were given the name. It has been in use for 145 years and is still recorded as of 2024.
- How else is Alex spelled?
- Allex, Alexs. All of these sound the same and are counted together in the totals on this page.