FastNamesAlexander
Greek name meaning "Derived from Greek Alexandros (Ἀλέξανδρος), meaning 'defender of men', from alexein ('to ward off', 'defend') and aner ('man', genitive andros).". Ranked 30th for boys in 2025.
Meaning and origin of Alexander
Derived from Greek Alexandros (Ἀλέξανδρος), meaning 'defender of men', from alexein ('to ward off', 'defend') and aner ('man', genitive andros).
Linguistically, Alexander is classified under Greek naming traditions. It is typically pronounced "al-ig-ZAN-dər".
Popularity and ranking
In official US Social Security birth records from 1880 through 2025, Alexander has been given to a total of 736,123 boys. It has also been given to 4,545 girls.
Peak year: Alexander reached its highest relative share among boys in 1993, when 20,530 babies received the name (10,467 per million births).
All-time best rank: 4th place, first achieved in 2009.
Recent standing (2025): Ranked 30th with 7,230 births. Ten years earlier in 2015, it ranked 8th (down 22 spots).
Busiest decade: More boys were named Alexander in the 1990s than in any other decade (183,952 births).
| Decade | Recorded births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 2,081 |
| 1890s | 1,954 |
| 1900s | 2,230 |
| 1910s | 11,352 |
| 1920s | 12,539 |
| 1930s | 7,095 |
| 1940s | 9,477 |
| 1950s | 12,180 |
| 1960s | 14,168 |
| 1970s | 24,932 |
| 1980s | 82,010 |
| 1990s | 183,952 |
| 2000s | 178,847 |
| 2010s | 142,161 |
| 2020s | 51,145 |
Source: Social Security Administration, national baby name data, data through 2025. Names given to fewer than five babies of one sex in a year aren't published, so totals are a little lower than actual births.
Where Alexander is most common in the US
Accounting for when Alexander was in fashion nationally, it has been most heavily concentrated in the following states (measured against the expected rate from each state's births):
- District of Columbia: 1.7 times the national rate (4,156 births since 1910).
- Rhode Island: 1.6 times the national rate (3,602 births since 1910).
- Connecticut: 1.6 times the national rate (11,994 births since 1910).
- Massachusetts: 1.4 times the national rate (21,919 births since 1910).
- Hawaii: 1.4 times the national rate (3,097 births since 1910).
Source: Social Security Administration, baby names by state, data through 2025. Names given to fewer than five babies of one sex in a state in a year aren't published, so totals are a little lower than actual births.
How many people have the name Alexander?
About 672,000 living American boys and men share the name Alexander. Additionally, an estimated 4,300 living American girls and women share the name.
The median age of an American named Alexander is 25 years old.
Estimated from Social Security Administration records (1880–2025) and official SSA cohort mortality tables.
History of the name Alexander
Alexander is one of the most illustrious personal names of classical antiquity, originating in ancient Greece from alexein ('to defend' or 'protect') and aner ('man'). The name appears in Homeric legend as an alternate epithet for Paris of Troy, but its world-historical renown was established by Alexander the Great (356–323 BC), King of Macedon, whose sweeping conquests carried Greek language and culture from the Mediterranean to the Indus Valley.
The name was borne by early Christian saints, Roman popes, and Scottish kings (notably Alexander I, II, and III in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries), ensuring widespread veneration throughout the British Isles. It spread into Slavic lands as Aleksandr and became a staple of royal dynasties across Russia. In early America, Alexander was championed by Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, cementing its patriotic and constitutional prestige.
In United States Social Security statistics, Alexander was a dependable top-100 name in the late nineteenth century before undergoing a modest mid-century decline. Beginning in the late 1960s, it enjoyed a powerful fifty-year upward surge, entering the national top twenty in 1990 and climbing into the top ten in 2008, where it remained a favorite for over a decade. Its enduring international stature and dignified classical rhythm make it a perennial favorite.
Notable people named Alexander
- Alexander Hamilton (1757–1804), Founding Father and statesman
- Alexander Graham Bell (1847–1922), Scientist and inventor
- Alexander Fleming (1881–1955), Physician and Nobel laureate
- Alexander Pope (1688–1744), Poet and satirist
- Alexander Calder (1898–1976), Sculptor and artist
Variants and related names
Spelling variants
Diminutives and nicknames
Related names
Sources and references
- Patrick Hanks, Kate Hardcastle, Flavia Hodges. A Dictionary of First Names (2006), p. 8.
- E. G. Withycombe. The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names (1977), p. 13.
- Douglas Harper. Online Etymology Dictionary. Reference link.