FastNamesAlexis
Greek name meaning "Derived from ancient Greek alexein, signifying 'defender', 'helper', or 'protector'.". Ranked 554th for girls in 2025.
Meaning and origin of Alexis
Derived from ancient Greek alexein, signifying 'defender', 'helper', or 'protector'.
Linguistically, Alexis is classified under Greek naming traditions. It is typically pronounced "uh-LEK-sis".
Popularity and ranking
In official US Social Security birth records from 1880 through 2025, Alexis has been given to a total of 344,557 girls. It has also been given to 68,075 boys.
Peak year: Alexis reached its highest relative share among girls in 1998, when 19,778 babies received the name (11,193 per million births).
All-time best rank: 3rd place, first achieved in 1999.
Recent standing (2025): Ranked 554th with 547 births. Ten years earlier in 2015, it ranked 85th (down 469 spots).
Busiest decade: More girls were named Alexis in the 1990s than in any other decade (131,199 births).
| Decade | Recorded births |
|---|---|
| 1930s | 5 |
| 1940s | 1,330 |
| 1950s | 2,028 |
| 1960s | 1,666 |
| 1970s | 6,052 |
| 1980s | 26,321 |
| 1990s | 131,199 |
| 2000s | 130,834 |
| 2010s | 40,416 |
| 2020s | 4,706 |
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 Alexis is most common in the US
Accounting for when Alexis was in fashion nationally, it has been most heavily concentrated in the following states (measured against the expected rate from each state's births):
- Delaware: 1.8 times the national rate (1,276 births since 1910).
- Wyoming: 1.8 times the national rate (587 births since 1910).
- North Dakota: 1.8 times the national rate (1,191 births since 1910).
- West Virginia: 1.6 times the national rate (2,690 births since 1910).
- South Dakota: 1.4 times the national rate (1,031 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 Alexis?
About 339,000 living American girls and women share the name Alexis. Additionally, an estimated 66,000 living American boys and men share the name.
The median age of an American named Alexis is 26 years old.
Estimated from Social Security Administration records (1880–2025) and official SSA cohort mortality tables.
History of the name Alexis
Tracing back to classical Greece, Alexis stems from the verbal root alexein ('to ward off', 'defend', or 'protect'). In antiquity, it was borne by a celebrated 4th-century BCE Greek comic poet and by Saint Alexis of Rome (known as 'the Man of God'), a 5th-century ascetic who renounced his noble wealth to live incognito as a humble beggar outside a church dedicated to Mary in Edessa.
The veneration of Saint Alexis spread extensively through medieval Europe, making the name popular in the Byzantine Empire, Russia (borne by Tsar Alexis of Russia, father of Peter the Great), and France. The name gained enduring international literary prestige through French political philosopher and statesman Alexis de Tocqueville (1805–1859), author of Democracy in America.
In the United States, Alexis was historically a rare masculine name before undergoing a dramatic transformation into a hugely popular feminine and unisex name starting in the 1980s, influenced by glamorous cultural depictions. Alexis entered the national top ten for girls in 1999 and maintained top-twenty status for over a decade, peaking at rank 3 nationwide in 1999 with over 19,000 newborn girls.
Notable people named Alexis
- Alexis de Tocqueville (1805–1859), French diplomat, political scientist, and historian
- Alexis Bledel (1981–), American actress and Emmy Award winner
- Alexis Sánchez (1988–), Chilean professional footballer and Copa América champion
- Alexis Ohanian (1983–), American internet entrepreneur and Reddit co-founder
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. 14.
- Douglas Harper. Online Etymology Dictionary. Reference link.