The name Alec is a girl's name meaning "defending men".

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A Scottish variation or a English diminutive of the classic Alexander, Alec is used almost exclusively on boys, though a handful of girls have been given the since the 1980s. While this could be down to data entry errors, if Alex can work, an Alexandra nicknamed Alec isn't out of the question. 

Alec

The name Alec peaked for girls at #3090 in 1995. Alec is also used for boys, ranking #977 in 2025.

The name Alec is a boy's name of Scottish, English, Greek origin meaning "defending men".

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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.

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The name Alec is currently ranked #977 in U.S. births. and peaked for boys at #109 in 1994. The name is most popular in ALEC, ALEC, and ALEC. Alec is occasionally used for girls in 2016.

Alexander

Year	US rank	Births	Per million
2014	—	0	0
2015	—	0	0
2016	—	0	0
2017	—	0	0
2018	—	0	0
2019	—	0	0
2020	—	0	0
2021	—	0	0
2022	—	0	0
2023	—	0	0
2024	—	0	0
2025	—	0	0

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