Given name & surname
Lex
“helper and defender of mankind”
In German use, Lex is a short form of Alexander. One Greek interpretation is “helper and defender of mankind.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
In English use, Lex carries the interpretation “helper and defender of mankind.” In German use, Lex 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 English.
How it developed
In English use, Lex is used as a shortened form of Alex. Lex is used as a form of Alexander.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1892. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Lex through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 4,010
- 3,995 boys · 15 girls
- Most popular year
- 2023
- 95 babies
- 2025
- 60
- #2,322 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −8%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 60 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 2,322 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 7.3% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 94 in 2012. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (8). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 3,551 as a first name in 2020; 1,111 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.
Lex’s family of names
In English usage, Lex is a diminutive of Alexander. In German usage, Lex has a related form in Alexis. In German usage, Lex is a short form of Alexander.
Inner ring: spellings · outer: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 14
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
See also 3
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Lex
- Lex BarkerAmerican actor (1919–1973)
- Lex ImmersDutch footballerborn 1986
- Lex SchoenmakerDutch footballer and managerborn 1947
- Lex MullinkDutch rowerborn 1944
- Lex LangAmerican voice actorborn 1965
- Lex JacobyLuxembourgian writer (1930-2015)
- Lex ShrapnelBritish actorborn 1979
- Lex LugerAmerican record producerborn 1991
- Lex Albrechtcyclistborn 1987
Characters named Lex: Lex Luthor (DC Comics), Lex Luthor (DC Extended Universe character), Lex Luthor (the television series Smallville).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
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