Given name & surname
Alec
“helper and defender of mankind”
In English and Scottish use, Alec is a short form of Alexander. One Greek interpretation is “helper and defender of mankind.”
Original GreekΑλέκος
Meaning & origin
What it means
In Greek use, Alec carries the interpretation “helper and defender of mankind.” In English and Scottish use, Alec is a short form of Alexander. One Greek interpretation is “helper and defender of mankind.”
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Greek.
How it developed
Alec is used as a form of Alexander.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Alec through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 55,489
- 55,152 boys · 337 girls
- Most popular year
- 1995
- 3,457 babies
- 2025
- 234
- #977 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −43%
- Cooling
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 234 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 977 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 43.2% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 3,420 in 1995. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (39). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 49,538 as a first name in 2020; 142 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Alec’s family of names
In English usage, Alec is a diminutive of Alexander. In English usage, Alec has a conventional equivalent in the German form Alex. Alec is a short form of Alexander.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Alec has relatives in 12 languages. Lines run from its Ancient Greek roots to each of them.
13 related names in 12 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 17
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 11
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- Alexalso known as · German
- AlessandroPortuguese, Italian
- AlexandrePortuguese, French
- Alastarequivalent
- Allickequivalent
- ʻAlikaborrowing · Hawaiian
- АлександарSerbian
- Ailigborrowing · Scottish Gaelic
Show 3 moreShow fewer
People named Alec
- Alec BaldwinAmerican actor (born 1958)
- Alec GuinnessBritish actor (1914–2000)
- Alec Douglas-HomePrime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1963 to 19641903–1995
- Alec ToddBritish biochemist and Nobel laureate (1907-1997)
- Alec BenjaminAmerican singer-songwriterborn 1994
- Alec JeffreysBritish geneticistborn 1950
- Alec John SuchAmerican bassist (1951–2022)
- Alec IssigonisBritish car designer (1906–1988)
- Alec BurksAmerican basketball player (born 1991)
Characters named Alec: Alec Trevelyan (Bond Villain).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Alec, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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