Alexi
Masculine · “defender”
Alexi is given to both — 1,756 boys and 4,220 girls since 1880. See Alexi as a girl nameSee other names given to both
Alexi is a defender. The Greek alexein means to ward off, and it built one of the largest name families in Europe: Alexander, Alexandra, Alexei, Alexis and every clipping of them. This spelling sits between the Russian Alexei and the French Alexis, and it is used for both sexes.
How old is the name Alexi?
Alexi first appears in US birth records in 1965 — 60 years ago. The typical Alexi alive today was born around 2002, making them about 23 years old. About 1,700 people named Alexi are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Alexi most popular?
Alexi peaked in 1997, reaching #1672 nationally. Today it ranks #5208, 3,536 places below that high. See the whole 1997 chart.
Where it comes from
From alexein to Alexi
The story of Alexi
Alexios was a Byzantine imperial name and Alexei a Russian one, carried by tsars and by a much-venerated saint who is said to have lived unrecognised under his own father's stairs. The Orthodox world uses it heavily. Meanwhile French has Alexis, which English took as a unisex name in the nineteen-eighties. Alexi is a spelling between the two, appearing in American records for boys and girls alike and often as a clipping of Alexander or Alexandra.
Meaning
defender; one who wards off
Greek alexein, to defend or ward off, gives Alexios, the helper or defender, and the same verb opens Alexander, defender of men. The connection is direct and has never been disputed.
How the name formed
- alexein
- Alexios
- Alexei
- Alexi
Related forms: Aleksei · Alexis · Αλέξιος · Alessio
Pronouncing Alexi
uh-LEK-see
Three syllables, stress in the middle. Russian says al-yik-SAY with the weight at the end, which is a noticeably different name in the ear.
Nicknames for Alexi
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1965
- Most boys named
- 200873 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1672reached in 1997
- Change vs 2024
- −14.3%18 in 2025, from 21
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Alexi in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Aleksei in Russian — same name
- Alexis in French — related form
- Αλέξιος in Greek — transliteration
- Alessio in Italian — same name
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, Texas, Virginia.
Alexis among us
people named Alexi are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 94,893 born in 2025 was named Alexi
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Spellings of Alexi
- #5208
- Alexi on the 2025 chart
- #903
- counting every spelling
The SSA counts spellings, not names. Alexi went to 18 boys in 2025, but Aleksi is the same name said out loud. Together the 2 spellings went to 25, which makes it the 903rd most-given boys’ name of the year — 4,305 places above the chart.
- Alexi18
- Aleksi7
About 1 boy in 68,323 born in 2025 was given one of these spellings — against 1 in 94,893 for Alexi itself.
Spellings are grouped by a fixed rule that folds interchangeable English spellings of one sound (ck/k, ph/f, x/ks, a non-initial y for i) and keeps vowels apart, so Sean and Shawn stay separate names. It errs towards splitting: a family here is never larger than the truth. SSA national data, 2025. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Lavaughn test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Alexi's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Lavaughn climbed just as high around 1929, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Lavaughn's path sketches the road Alexi is walking now.
Alexi 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.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Alexi beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Alexi in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- Alex is available as a short form that needs no explaining anywhere on earth.
- The meaning is settled and can be stated in two words.
- It works in Russian, Greek, French and English households alike.
- Alexi, Alexei, Alexis and Aleksi are all in use and get written for one another.
- It is used for both sexes, so paperwork does not always guess right.
- The Russian pronunciation is quite different, so families with Russian relatives will hear two names.
Nobody names a baby alone.
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What they receive
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Alexi
Masculine · #5208 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Alexis are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 1,700 people named Alexi are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How do you spell Alexi?
- Alexi is the most-used spelling in US records — 18 of the 25 babies given the name in 2025. The others recorded are Aleksi.
- How popular is the name Alexi in 2025?
- Alexi ranks #5208 among US boy names in 2025, with 18 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Alexi?
- About 1 in every 94,893 US boys born in 2025 was named Alexi — 18 in all.
- Will my child share the name Alexi with classmates?
- Alexi will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Alexi
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Rodger#5208 · Eusebio#5208 · Boy#5208 · Randal#5208 · Gable#5208 · Jessy#5208 · Kelby#5208 · Jens#5208
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Alexi? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Alexi and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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