Alec
Top 1000
About Alec
Alec, a clipped British short form of Alexander, is less fresh than Alex, but leans more off-beat classic than Xander. Used since at least the 19th-century, Alec became particularly popular in the English-speaking world during the 1990s, possibly following actor Alec Baldwin's appearance in the movies Beetlejuice (1988) and The Hunt for Red October (1990).
Used as both a full name and as a nickname, it has also been notably borne by actor Alec Guinness, writer Alec Waugh, and cricketer Alec Stewart. It's got literary credentials too, appearing in Maurice by E.M Forster, while in fiction more generally it has been used in Twilight, The Shadowhunters, GoldenEye, and Broarchurch.
Sharing the same strong meaning as long-form Alexander ("defending men"), Alec has been declining in recent years, possibly because it could easily get misheard as Alex, or because the aforementioned Alec Baldwin was accused (and later cleared) of involuntary manslaughter after cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was killed during filming in 2021.
Ranking at #977 in the US in a recent year, it was chosen by Vice President J.D Vance and his wife Usha for their son, born in 2026. For some, this may spark renewed interest in the name, though others may be further put off.
Pronounced AL-ik.
As of October 2026, Alec ranked #977 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #109 in 1994, Nameberry popularity #336.
Editor's take: The name Alec is a boy's name of Scottish, English, Greek origin meaning "defending men".
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank | Births | Per million |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | #467 | 624 | 324.9 |
| 2015 | #456 | 665 | 346.9 |
| 2016 | #492 | 616 | 324.6 |
| 2017 | #506 | 575 | 310.7 |
| 2018 | #540 | 520 | 286.3 |
| 2019 | #543 | 518 | 288.7 |
| 2020 | #588 | 470 | 272.3 |
| 2021 | #682 | 390 | 222.9 |
| 2022 | #744 | 346 | 198.2 |
| 2023 | #841 | 289 | 168.9 |
| 2024 | #878 | 273 | 158.5 |
| 2025 | #977 | 234 | 137 |
World rankings
Similar names
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Alec on lists
Famous Alecs
- Alexander Frederick "Alec" Douglas
Home, Baron Home of the Hirsel, British Prime Minister
- Alexander Rae "Alec" Baldwin III
American actor
- Alec Guiness (de Cuffe)
English actor
- Alec Su (You
peng), Taiwanese actor and singer
- Alec Musser
American actor and model
- Alec Baillie
American bassist for bands Choking Victim, Agent 99, and Leftover Crack
- Alec William Alfred Stock
English footballer and manager
- Alec Eason
Australian rules footballer
- Alec Beall
Canadian reality TV personality ("Big Brother Canada")
- Alec Martinez
American hockey player
- Alec Potts
Australian archer
- Alec Richard Shifrin
son of tv host and journalist Sara Haines
- Alec Benjamin
singer/songwriter
Alec in pop culture
- Alec Ramsay
character in "The Black Stallion" novel series and film/
- Alec D'Urberville
character in Thomas Hardy's "Tess of the D'Urbervilles"
- Alexander "Alec" Lightwood
character in "The Mortal Instruments" book and movie series and the "Shadowhunter's" TV series.
- Alec Hardison
character on TV's "Leverage"
- Alec Hardy
main character on British TV series "Broadchurch"
- Alec Volturi
character in the Twilight Saga
- Alec Scudder
character in film "Maurice"
- Alec
character from 'The Kill Order' by James Dashner
- Alec Newbury
character in "St. Elmo's Fire"
- Alec Jesmond
character on TV's "Call the Midwife"
- Alec Trevelyan
villain in 1995 James Bond film "GoldenEye"
- Alec Sadler
character from Canadian TV series "Continuum"
- Alec Holland aka Swamp Thing
DC comics character
- Alec Ryder
character in the game "Mass Effect: Andromeda"
Variations & nicknames
- AlickScottish
- AlekRussian