Lex
Masculine · “defender of men”
Lex is overwhelmingly a boys’ name — 3,995 boys against 15 girls since 1880.
Lex is Alexander clipped — defender of men — and it is also the Latin for law, as in lex talionis.
How old is the name Lex?
Lex first appears in US birth records in 1892 — 133 years ago. The typical Lex alive today was born around 1998, making them about 27 years old. About 3,200 people named Lex are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Lex most popular?
Lex peaked in 1956, reaching #910 nationally. Today it ranks #2304, 1,394 places below that high. See the whole 1956 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From Alexandros to Lex
The story of Lex
Alexandros appears on Bronze Age Linear B tablets, making it among the oldest continuously used names in Europe. Lex is the Dutch and English clipping. The Latin lex is a separate word that gives legal and privilege. Lex appears in American records in current use.
Meaning
defender of men; law
Through Alexander, from the Greek alexein, 'to defend', and aner, 'man'. Separately, the Latin lex means 'law' and gives legal, legislate and privilege — 'private law'. Both are genuine; the Alexander route is the usual source for the name.
How the name formed
- Alexandros
- Alexander
- Lex
Related forms: Lex · Alexander · Lex
Pronouncing Lex
LEKS
One syllable. Said identically in every English accent.
Nicknames for Lex
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
- 1892
- Most boys named
- 200690 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #910reached in 1956
- Change vs 2023
- −33.3%60 in 2025, from 90
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.
Lex in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Lex in Dutch — same name
- Alexander in English — related form
- Lex in Latin — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, Texas, Florida.
Lexs among us
people named Lex are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 28,468 born in 2025 was named Lex
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Porfirio test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Lex's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Porfirio climbed just as high around 1903, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Porfirio's path sketches the road Lex is walking now.
Lex 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
Where Lex is headed
Lex should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
Medium confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Lex beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Lex in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- That 'privilege' means 'private law' from the Latin is a first-rate etymology.
- Alexander is available as a full formal version.
- One syllable, sharp, and never mispronounced.
- One comic-book villain is a strong association.
- It reads as a nickname rather than a full name.
- It is very short and can be swallowed by a long surname.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Lex to the vote.
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What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Lex
Masculine · #2304 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Lexs are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 3,200 people named Lex are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Lex in 2025?
- Lex ranks #2304 among US boy names in 2025, with 60 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Lex?
- About 1 in every 28,468 US boys born in 2025 was named Lex — 60 in all.
- Will my child share the name Lex with classmates?
- Lex will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Lex
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Daxon#2304 · Paris#2304 · Joab#2304 · Zian#2304 · Enoc#2304 · Avion#2304 · Ahmari#2304 · Marquise#2304
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Lex? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Lex and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
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Weighing a whole shortlist? Add the rest in the builder, or settle it with a bracket.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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