Head to head · Boys' names
Alexis vs Frank
#513 vs #513 in 2025
Alexis and Frank share the same spot on the 2025 charts (#513). The records cannot split them; sound and story will.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
The tale of the tape
On the charts, Frank leads 3 measures of 6; Alexis leads 0.
Ranks, counts and years are measured in the official US birth record; the classroom and living figures are estimates computed from it. The dot marks the side each measure favours on the charts — more common, not better.
What the records say
146 years of US births, drawn on one scale
Two curves, one scale
Who owned which decade
- 1880s: Alexis #879, Frank #6 — Frank higher
- 1890s: Alexis #1079, Frank #7 — Frank higher
- 1900s: Alexis #1345, Frank #8 — Frank higher
- 1910s: Alexis #1785, Frank #9 — Frank higher
- 1920s: Alexis #2306, Frank #11 — Frank higher
- 1930s: Alexis #2435, Frank #16 — Frank higher
- 1940s: Alexis #2036, Frank #22 — Frank higher
- 1950s: Alexis #1370, Frank #35 — Frank higher
- 1960s: Alexis #795, Frank #43 — Frank higher
- 1970s: Alexis #591, Frank #64 — Frank higher
- 1980s: Alexis #380, Frank #90 — Frank higher
- 1990s: Alexis #225, Frank #148 — Frank higher
- 2000s: Alexis #148, Frank #241 — Alexis higher
- 2010s: Alexis #328, Frank #347 — Alexis higher
- 2020s: Alexis #479, Frank #461 — Frank higher
Frank stood higher in 13 of 15 decades; Frank took the 2020s.
Rank by decade
| Decade | Alexis | Frank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | #879 | #6 |
| 1890s | #1079 | #7 |
| 1900s | #1345 | #8 |
| 1910s | #1785 | #9 |
| 1920s | #2306 | #11 |
| 1930s | #2435 | #16 |
| 1940s | #2036 | #22 |
| 1950s | #1370 | #35 |
| 1960s | #795 | #43 |
| 1970s | #591 | #64 |
| 1980s | #380 | #90 |
| 1990s | #225 | #148 |
| 2000s | #148 | #241 |
| 2010s | #328 | #347 |
| 2020s | #479 | #461 |
Average national rank across each decade. A dash means the name sat outside the recorded top of that decade.
The names themselves
Meaning, roots, sound and the people who carried each
Where each name comes from
Alexis
defender, helper
From the Greek verb alexein, to ward off or defend. The same verb sits at the front of Alexander, which pairs it with aner, 'man'.
Alexios → Alexius → Alexis
How it traveled
The name begins as Greek Alexios, latinized to Alexius and borne by several emperors of Byzantium, among them Alexios I Komnenos in the eleventh and twelfth centuries. The legend of Saint Alexius, the beggar who lived unrecognised beneath his family's staircase, spread the name across medieval Europe in sermons and vernacular poems.
Frank
a Frank; free
The Franks were the Germanic people who took over Gaul and gave France its name; their own tribal name may come from a word for a javelin, though that is argued. Under Frankish rule only Franks held full legal freedom, which is how francus in medieval Latin came to mean free, and English frank, franchise and enfranchise all descend from that. Frank as a personal name is a short form of Francis, which means the Frenchman.
Franci → Franciscus → Francis → Frank
How it traveled
Francis was a nickname before it was a name — a cloth merchant's son in Assisi called Francesco for his father's trade with France — and it became one of the great European names through him. Frank shortened it and then outgrew it: in America, Frank has been given far more often than Francis for well over a century, and a great many Franks were never christened anything longer.
Where a reading is contested the note says so — this page does not turn a guess into a fact. The chain is each name's recorded forms, oldest first; the story is its opening, told in full on the name's own page.
Out loud, and in short
Alexis
uh-LEK-sis
In French the stress moves to the end and the final s goes silent: uh-lek-SEE. Both are correct for their language, and families with French ties often keep the French sound.
- Alex — The default short form for both boys and girls, and long established as a given name in its own right.
- Lexi — Informal, used mostly for girls; also registered on its own as a given name.
- Lex — Short and unisex, used more often by and for older speakers and in surname-style address.
- Sasha — The Russian diminutive of Aleksei and Aleksandr; used in Slavic families and, in English, as an independent name.
- Also Al.
Frank
FRANK
FRANK, one syllable, rhyming with bank. German says Franz with a ts at the end; Italian Franco has two syllables. The English name is as plain as a syllable gets and has never been ambiguous.
- Frankie — The name softened, warm in nearly every setting and used for either child.
- Francis — The long form standing behind it, used on documents by some and by no means all.
- Franco — The Italian form used as a nickname, which travels well in Italian-American families.
Is it right for you
The differences that decide it, laid out by what you want
Choose by what you want
Choose Alexis if you want…
- a name with more sound in itAlexis runs 3 syllables, Frank 1
- plenty of nickname options5 recorded short forms — Alex, Lexi and Lex
- a newer arrivalAlexis entered the US charts in 1882
- a name that feels very nowAlexis is holding its place on the charts
Choose Frank if you want…
- a name past its most crowded yearsFrank is stepping back from its peak
- a name with fewer syllablesFrank is 1 syllable to Alexis's 3
- a long American recordFrank was already in use when US records began in 1880
- a name that ages quietlyan estimated 12% chance of feeling dated by 2040, against 40% for Alexis
Each line is a measured difference between the two names — a rank, a count, a recorded form — never a judgement of either. Save the one that answers your question; it lands on your shortlist.
The trade-offs, name by name
Alexis
Strengths
- Recognized spelling in English — people write it correctly on the first hearing, without a spelling-out.
- An unbroken record from Byzantine Greek through medieval Latin and French to modern English.
- Several settled short forms already in use: Alex, Lexi, Lex.
To consider
- In the United States this spelling is given almost equally to boys and girls, so a boy named Alexis will meet forms, teachers and strangers who assume otherwise. In France, Russia and much of southern Europe the assumption runs the other way.
- It sits inside a crowded family — Alexa, Alexia, Alexus, Alexandra, Alexander — and Alexis is sometimes heard or written as one of those. The short form Alex belongs to all of them.
- Alexa is now also a household voice assistant, and the two names are near enough that the joke will occasionally surface, usually from adults rather than children.
Frank
Strengths
- One syllable, five letters, understood instantly everywhere English is spoken.
- The etymology is genuinely remarkable and connects the name to a whole family of English words.
- Frankie is available and works for either child.
To consider
- It is very strongly represented among older generations and reads that way to many people.
- The word frank is also an adjective meaning blunt, which gets played on regularly.
- It reads as a short form to some people even though it has been independent for a century.
Documented properties of each name — how it spells, travels and shortens — not opinions about the child.
How each is likely to age
Alexis
40%chance Alexis feels dated by 2040
Alexis sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
Frank
12%chance Frank feels dated by 2040
Frank has held the top-100 across 11 different decades — it has never depended on fashion, and names like that read the same at any age.
A reading of where each name sits on the long naming cycle — computed, not measured, and explained on the data page.
With your last name
Say both in full. The notes are facts about letters and sound — a rhyme, a shared initial, the monogram — not a verdict on either name.
Type a last name to hear Alexis and Frank in full.
Weighing the whole shortlist? Run the full comparison — up to eight names with your last name, initials, classroom projections and a printable report.
Decide together
Nobody names a baby alone
Still torn between Alexis and Frank?
Put both to the vote.
One link to your partner, your parents, your sister. Each of them gets the two names, a one-tap answer and room to say why — and every reply lands in one place.
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More than two in the running? Settle it with a bracket or run the full comparison with your last name.
More head-to-heads
Same measures, different pair. Sixty more are dealt daily in the arena.
Lists these names appear on
- Names with an X in them
- Greek names with ancient roots
- The top-10 club: every name that made it
- Classics hiding in plain sight
- all guides
Where Alexis and Frank each sit in the library — alternatives in the same style, ranked by the same records.
Alexis or Frank — the short answers
- Which is more popular, Alexis or Frank?
- They tie in 2025: Alexis ranked #513 with 584 babies; Frank ranked #513 with 584 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, Alexis or Frank?
- Neither is rising. Over the last five years Alexis moved down 32 places; Frank moved down 85 places.
- Which is the older name, Alexis or Frank?
- Alexis entered the US charts in 1882; Frank was already in use when US records began in 1880. On the American record, Frank is the older name.
- How many people are named Alexis and Frank?
- About 66,000 people named Alexis are estimated to be alive in the US today. About 357,000 people named Frank are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- Will there be other Alexiss or Franks in the classroom?
- Alexis will almost certainly be the only one in school. Frank will almost certainly be the only one in school.
US figures from the Social Security Administration, 1880–2025. Votes are battle voters on this site, not the birth record. Data & methodology
Keep playing
Sixty more head-to-heads are dealt in the arena every day — or line up Alexis, Frank and the rest of your shortlist with your last name in one printable report.
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