Alexa
Alexa was the 1029th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 243 babies. Its best year was 2015, when it ranked 32nd; the most babies were born in 2006 (6,117). Over the last ten years it has moved down 997 places. More babies were named Alexa in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Meaning defender (feminine of Alex) · Greek, English
Say it uh-LEK-suh /əˈlɛksə/
- Rank in 2025
- #1,029 girls, down 799 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 243girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20066,117 babies
- Total since 1880
- 131,835babies recorded
What does the name Alexa mean?
Alexa is a feminine form of Alex and a short form of Alexandra, according to Wiktionary. Alexandra is the feminine of Alexander, which DMNES explains as Greek aléxō, I defend, plus anēr, man. Alexa has been used in the US since the 1910s, and French has borrowed the name back from English, as Wiktionary notes. It is also the name of Amazon's voice assistant, which Wiktionary records as a separate sense.
ἀλέξω (Ancient Greek, “to defend”)ἀνήρ (Ancient Greek, “man”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Alexandra, Alex, Alexis, Lexi, Alessia.
See also: Greek names, names that mean protector.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Alexa' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Alexandra', DMNES (Durham University)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Alexander', DMNES (Durham University)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (yob*.txt), team3 computation of first year recorded, US Social Security Administration (public domain)
Nicknames for Alexa
The usual nicknames for Alexa are Lexi and Lex. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 girls named Alexa in the last five years, 129 were named Lexi, against 18 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Girls, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lexi · also for Alexandra, Alexandria, Alexis | Modern | #628 | 3,059 |
| Lex · also for Alexander, Alexis, Alexia | Modern | — | 5 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are girls given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Alexas go by each one.
Alexa popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 284 since 1984.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,029 | 243 |
| 2020 | #230 | 1,285 |
| 2010 | #50 | 5,043 |
| 2000 | #87 | 3,674 |
| 1990 | #146 | 2,131 |
| 1980 | #859 | 179 |
| 1970 | #1,270 | 86 |
| 1960 | #1,953 | 34 |
| 1950 | #1,495 | 38 |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Alexa, counting every spelling?
Alexa is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #985 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #1,029 for Alexa on its own. Together these spellings went to 243 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alexa | 243 | #1,029 | 2,369 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Alexa?
243 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Alexa (0.07 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Alexa born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 35 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Alexa.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Alexa?
About 129,700 people born in the US named Alexa are alive today, with a median age of 20; half are between 14 and 28. That makes Alexa mostly worn by children and young adults.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Alexa by state
How common Alexa was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Texas (2.0×), Arizona (1.8×), California (1.8×), Maryland (1.6×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Michigan, Wisconsin, Arkansas.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Alexa: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Alexa, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Alexa · Sibling names for Alexa
Alexa is also a nickname for Alexandra.
Questions about the name Alexa
What does Alexa mean?
Alexa means “defender (feminine of Alex)” (Greek, English origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Alexa?
Alexa was the 1029th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 243 babies. Its best year was 2015, when it ranked 32nd; the most babies were born in 2006 (6,117). Over the last ten years it has moved down 997 places. More babies were named Alexa in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Is Alexa a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Alexa in the US.
Where is Alexa most popular?
In 2021–2025, Alexa was most common in Texas (0.59 per 1,000 girls), followed by Arizona and California.