Given name & surname
Alexis
“helper and defender of mankind”
Alexis is a form of Alexander. One Greek interpretation is “helper and defender of mankind.”
Original GreekΆλεξις
Meaning & origin
What it means
In Greek use, Alexis carries the interpretation “helper and defender of mankind.” Alexis is a 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
Alexis is used as a form of Alexander.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1882. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Alexis through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 412,632
- 68,075 boys · 344,557 girls
- Most popular year
- 1998
- 22,095 babies
- 2025
- 1,131
- #513 for boys · #554 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −45%
- Cooling
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 36% boys.
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 584 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 513 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 15.0% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 4,175 in 2004. It also appeared in 547 birth records for girls in 2025. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (134). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 358,350 as a first name in 2020; 7,379 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.
Alexis’s family of names
Alexis has a short form in Alex. In French usage, Alexis has a feminine form in Alexia. Alexis is a form of Alexander.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Alexis has relatives in 20 languages. Lines run from its Ancient Greek roots to each of them.
Nicknames & forms 28
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Alexandervariant · German
- Alexshort form · French
- Alexandravariant
- Lexidiminutive · English
- Alexiavariant · French
- Lexiediminutive · English
- Lexdiminutive · English, German
- Alexivariant
Show 20 moreShow fewer
- Alexeivariant
- Alexiosvariant
- Alexievariant
- Alexeyvariant
- Alekseivariant
- Alexusvariant
- Aleksivariant · Finnish
- Lexisvariant · English
- Alexxislikely variant
- Alexisslikely variant
- Allexislikely variant
- Lexeediminutive · English
- Alexeevariant
- Alexyvariant
- Alexiusvariant · German, English
- Alexiovariant
- Alexejvariant · German, Czech
- Aleksiusvariant
- Aleksiosvariant
- Aleksiovariant
Spellings & scripts 3
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 40
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- ΆλεξιςGreek
- Ἄλεξιςroot · Ancient Greek
- ἈλέξιοςAncient Greek
- Alessiaequivalent
- AlessioItalian
- Alessilij-MC
- Alexandrosequivalent
- AlekPolish
Show 32 moreShow fewer
- Alejocognate · Spanish
- Alekseyequivalent
- Aleksejequivalent
- Elexisrelated form
- ElekHungarian
- Aleksisequivalent
- Aleixequivalent
- AleksyPolish
- AlejaSpanish
- Olesyaequivalent · English
- Alekosequivalent
- Oleksaequivalent
- Αλέξιοςequivalent
- Αλέκοςequivalent
- Αλέξανδροςequivalent
- Ἀλέξανδροςequivalent
- Олексаequivalent
- Alècsisequivalent
- Leshequivalent
- АлексисRussian
- АлексейRussian
- AleixoPortuguese, Galician
- Alèsedescendant · lmo
- Oleksiiequivalent
- Άλεξequivalent
- АлексийRussian
- AlèxisOccitan
- Leczisgallo
- ОлексійUkrainian
- AlešCzech
- ЛёшаRussian
- АлёшаRussian
See also 2
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Alexis
- Alexis de TocquevilleFrench political thinker and historian, minister of Foreign Affairs (1805-1859)
- Alexis TsiprasPrime Minister of Greece (2015; 2015–2019)born 1974
- Saint-John PerseFrench poet and diplomat (1887–1975)
- Alexis CarrelFrench surgeon and biologist1873–1944
- Alexis SánchezChilean footballer (born 1988)
- Alexis BledelAmerican actressborn 1981
- Aleksis Kivinational author of Finland (1834-1872)
- Alexis Mac AllisterArgentine association football player (born 1998)
- Alexis ClairautFrench mathematician, astronomer, and geophysicist (*1713 – †1765)
Characters named Alexis: Alexis Colby (American Prime Time Soap Opera Character), Punchline (DC Comics character).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Alexis, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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