Alec

maleStatistical record

What official birth registration shows about Alec: which national registrars published it, in which years, and how its recorded position changed.

No researched meaning, origin or pronunciation yet — what that means.

Alec: Recorded since 1971, it reached #249 in 1987, and it stood at #829 in 2025.

4registrars recorded it
76times a registrar ranked it
55years from first to last
#249highest recorded position
13groupings it qualifies for

Region

Falling

among boys in England and Wales · 1996–2024

View as table

England and Wales · Boys rank by year
Year	Rank
1996	#263
1997	#262
1998	#282
1999	#292
2000	#314
2001	#297
2002	#325
2003	#291
2004	#325
2005	#406
2006	#383
2007	#386
2008	#401
2009	#524
2010	#574
2011	#580
2012	#654
2013	#611
2014	#632
2015	#702
2016	#571
2017	#628
2018	#711
2019	#552
2020	#706
2021	#659
2022	#646
2023	#738
2024	#945

VerifiedSource: Office for National Statistics — Baby Names in England and Wales.Confidence: high.

See all England and Wales names · Source: Office for National Statistics — Baby Names in England and Wales

What the data shows

FallingEngland and Wales · Boys

Recorded in official data among boys in Republic of Ireland in 37 of the 55 years from 1971 to 2025.

In 2024: #535 among boys in Scotland, #785 among boys in Republic of Ireland, #945 among boys in England and Wales.

Official data from 4 national registrars across 4 regions, 1971–2025 · Office for National Statistics. Data sources

Popularity journey

First recorded1971
First recorded at #257 among boys in Republic of Ireland in 1971 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Highest recorded1971–2025
Highest recorded position: #249 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 1987 (recorded 1971–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #829 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Boys

Alec appears in 3 of the published lists Namewise holds. The longest record is Republic of Ireland · Boys, which has ranked it in 37 years beginning in 1971, and has registered 200 births with the name.

Alec across 3 official records

Each registrar publishes its own list, so these figures are read down a row, never across one. A position in one country is not comparable with a position in another, and Namewise never combines them into a single ranking. The birth counts do not compare across rows either, for a different reason: England and Wales registers roughly thirty times as many births a year as Northern Ireland, so a larger total says which registrar recorded it as much as how widely the name was given.

Alec's first, highest and most recent recorded position in each official list, with the number of births each registrar registered with the name and its largest single year
Published list	First recorded	Highest	Most recent	Years recorded	Births registered	Most in one year
Republic of Ireland · Boys	#257 (1971)	#249 (1987)	#829 (2025)	37 of 55	200 (1971–2025)	12 (2020)
England and Wales · Boys	#263 (1996)	#262 (1997)	#945 (2024)	29 of 29	2,068 (1996–2024)	109 (1996)
Northern Ireland · Boys	#263 (2003)	#257 (2006)	#318 (2017)	9 of 15	32 (2003–2017)	5 (2006)

Alec by decade in Republic of Ireland · Boys

Births registered with the name in each decade of this one list, with the number of years the list covers in that decade. Bars are scaled on births a year, which is the figure that compares between decades — a decade the list only partly covers has a smaller total without being a quieter decade. Figures belong to this registrar alone and do not carry to another.

Births registered with Alec in Republic of Ireland · Boys, by decade, with years covered and the average per year
Decade	Births registered	Years covered	A year
1970s	13	3 of 10	4
1980s	24	6 of 10	4
1990s	23	6 of 10	4
2000sbusiest	50	7 of 10	7
2010s	62	10 of 10	6
2020s	28	5 of 10	6

Across Republic of Ireland · Boys, the 2000s were its busiest decade — the 7 years of it this list covers, averaging 7 births a year.

See the names Republic of Irelandhas recorded the most births with →

Alec appears in

Groupings this name qualifies for under their own stated rules, from the same official statistics shown above.

Popularity data

Official popularity data is available for 4 regions, from 1971 to 2025. Highest recorded position: #249 in Republic of Ireland in 1987.

Alec's recorded popularity observations by year, region and administrative category, including rank, registered births, source confidence and when each region's data was last reviewed.
Year	Region	Category	Rank	Births registered	Confidence	Status
2024	England and Wales	male	#945	33	High	Verified
2023	England and Wales	male	#738	45	High	Verified
2022	England and Wales	male	#646	54	High	Verified
2021	England and Wales	male	#659	55	High	Verified
2020	England and Wales	male	#706	47	High	Verified
2019	England and Wales	male	#552	68	High	Verified
2018	England and Wales	male	#711	48	High	Verified
2017	England and Wales	male	#628	57	High	Verified
2016	England and Wales	male	#571	65	High	Verified
2015	England and Wales	male	#702	47	High	Verified
2014	England and Wales	male	#632	54	High	Verified
2013	England and Wales	male	#611	56	High	Verified
2012	England and Wales	male	#654	52	High	Verified
2011	England and Wales	male	#580	60	High	Verified
2010	England and Wales	male	#574	59	High	Verified
2009	England and Wales	male	#524	66	High	Verified
2008	England and Wales	male	#401	93	High	Verified
2007	England and Wales	male	#386	93	High	Verified
2006	England and Wales	male	#383	90	High	Verified
2005	England and Wales	male	#406	74	High	Verified
2004	England and Wales	male	#325	92	High	Verified
2003	England and Wales	male	#291	100	High	Verified
2002	England and Wales	male	#325	81	High	Verified
2001	England and Wales	male	#297	92	High	Verified
2000	England and Wales	male	#314	85	High	Verified
1999	England and Wales	male	#292	93	High	Verified
1998	England and Wales	male	#282	92	High	Verified
1997	England and Wales	male	#262	108	High	Verified
1996	England and Wales	male	#263	109	High	Verified
2017	Northern Ireland	male	#318	5	High	Verified
2016	Northern Ireland	male	#421	3	High	Verified
2015	Northern Ireland	male	#415	3	High	Verified
2013	Northern Ireland	male	#398	3	High	Verified
2012	Northern Ireland	male	#403	3	High	Verified
2009	Northern Ireland	male	#390	3	High	Verified
2006	Northern Ireland	male	#257	5	High	Verified
2004	Northern Ireland	male	#305	3	High	Verified
2003	Northern Ireland	male	#263	4	High	Verified
2025	Republic of Ireland	male	#829	3	High	Verified
2024	Republic of Ireland	male	#785	3	High	Verified
2022	Republic of Ireland	male	#454	7	High	Verified
2021	Republic of Ireland	male	#755	3	High	Verified
2020	Republic of Ireland	male	#342	12	High	Verified
2019	Republic of Ireland	male	#352	11	High	Verified
2018	Republic of Ireland	male	#749	3	High	Verified
2017	Republic of Ireland	male	#495	6	High	Verified
2016	Republic of Ireland	male	#713	3	High	Verified
2015	Republic of Ireland	male	#503	6	High	Verified
2014	Republic of Ireland	male	#428	8	High	Verified
2013	Republic of Ireland	male	#534	5	High	Verified
2012	Republic of Ireland	male	#457	7	High	Verified
2011	Republic of Ireland	male	#623	4	High	Verified
2010	Republic of Ireland	male	#400	9	High	Verified
2009	Republic of Ireland	male	#472	6	High	Verified
2008	Republic of Ireland	male	#412	8	High	Verified
2006	Republic of Ireland	male	#354	7	High	Verified
2005	Republic of Ireland	male	#343	7	High	Verified
2004	Republic of Ireland	male	#322	7	High	Verified
2003	Republic of Ireland	male	#305	7	High	Verified
2001	Republic of Ireland	male	#251	8	High	Verified
1998	Republic of Ireland	male	#369	3	High	Verified
1997	Republic of Ireland	male	#303	5	High	Verified
1996	Republic of Ireland	male	#369	3	High	Verified
1995	Republic of Ireland	male	#334	3	High	Verified
1992	Republic of Ireland	male	#267	5	High	Verified
1990	Republic of Ireland	male	#286	4	High	Verified
1989	Republic of Ireland	male	#307	3	High	Verified
1988	Republic of Ireland	male	#254	5	High	Verified
1987	Republic of Ireland	male	#249	5	High	Verified
1986	Republic of Ireland	male	#256	5	High	Verified
1985	Republic of Ireland	male	#304	3	High	Verified
1983	Republic of Ireland	male	#330	3	High	Verified
1979	Republic of Ireland	male	#292	4	High	Verified
1977	Republic of Ireland	male	#293	4	High	Verified
1971	Republic of Ireland	male	#257	5	High	Verified
2024	Scotland	male	#535	5	High	Verified

England and Wales hub — collected by Office for National Statistics
Northern Ireland hub — collected by NISRA
Republic of Ireland hub — collected by CSO Ireland
Scotland hub — collected by National Records of Scotland

See methodology and data sources for how popularity data is collected and what "confidence" means.

What the record shows

Recorded by 4 registrars between 1971 and 2025, ranked in 42 years of that period.

Its highest recorded position is #249, first reached in 1987.

Its largest count from any one registrar is 109 births, registered in England and Wales in 1996.

Its record falls into 7 separate stretches, with a longest absence of 5 years.

A second registrar first ranked it in 1996, and 53 years separate the first registrar to record it from the last.

Every figure here is counted from the seven official registrars Namewise holds. A position is only ever a place within the list that published it, and a record that thins or stops is a fact about what registrars printed — never about how many children received the name.

Where to go next

Records with a comparable body of evidence, so the catalogue can be read outward from this one. Each group states the rule it was selected by.

Next in the catalogue

The records either side of this one alphabetically.

Alea · #1206, 22y
Aleah · #276, 29y
Alecia · #419, 26y
Aled · #312, 29y

A comparable record

Records held by the same 4 registrars, over a similar number of ranked years, whose highest position is closest to this one. A similar body of evidence — never a claim that the names themselves are alike.

Arman · #249, 38y
Deividas · #249, 42y
Ray · #251, 40y
Constance · #244, 37y

Also first recorded in the 1970s

Records whose earliest ranking in Namewise's registrar data also falls between 1970 and 1979.

Alain · #249, 15y
Deividas · #249, 42y
Asma · #250, 49y
Gediminas · #250, 21y

Alec was ranked #249 in Republic of Ireland · Boys in 1987. These are the names immediately either side of it on that published list — a fact about the registrar's own output, not a similarity judgement.

Alec and the names beside it

Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale, in the same year, by the same registrar — so these are positions that genuinely passed each other, not a similarity judgement. Drawn from the 2,573 names with a recorded popularity standing (common, familiar, uncommon), so a name outside that set could have passed Alec without appearing here.

Alec moved ahead of

Ashley Compare
In 2018 they stood at #749 and #749 in Republic of Ireland · Boys; by 2019 that had become #352 and #764.
Geoffrey Compare
In 2009 they stood at #472 and #386 in Republic of Ireland · Boys; by 2010 that had become #400 and #611.
Ronald Compare
In 2002 they stood at #369 and #369 in Republic of Ireland · Boys; by 2003 that had become #305 and #500.
Kristian Compare
In 2018 they stood at #711 and #535 in England and Wales · Boys; by 2019 that had become #552 and #740.

Moved ahead of Alec

Calum Compare
In 2020 they stood at #342 and #402 in Republic of Ireland · Boys; by 2021 that had become #755 and #296.
Daithi Compare
In 2024 they stood at #454 and #572 in Republic of Ireland · Boys; by 2025 that had become #829 and #509.
Jesse Compare
In 2012 they stood at #457 and #500 in Republic of Ireland · Boys; by 2013 that had become #534 and #271.
Theo Compare
In 2008 they stood at #257 and #282 in Northern Ireland · Boys; by 2009 that had become #390 and #136.

Moved the opposite way to Alec

Aaron Compare
Between 1971 and 2025 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Alec went from #257 to #829 while Aaron went from #204 to #71.
Adam Compare
Between 1971 and 2025 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Alec went from #257 to #829 while Adam went from #164 to #20.
Alexander Compare
Between 1971 and 2025 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Alec went from #257 to #829 while Alexander went from #120 to #55.
Benjamin Compare
Between 1971 and 2025 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Alec went from #257 to #829 while Benjamin went from #184 to #83.

Moved the same way as Alec

Adrian Compare
Between 1971 and 2025 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Alec went from #257 to #829 and Adrian from #52 to #348.
Denis Compare
Between 1971 and 2025 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Alec went from #257 to #829 and Denis from #30 to #232.
Edward Compare
Between 1971 and 2025 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Alec went from #257 to #829 and Edward from #23 to #125.
Erik Compare
Between 1971 and 2025 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Alec went from #257 to #829 and Erik from #304 to #468.

What's not yet available

Meaning
Origin
Pronunciation
Nicknames and spelling variants

Absence from this list does not mean the name isn't genuinely meaningful or widely used — only that Namewise hasn't sourced and reviewed that content yet. Absence from a specific year or geography above does not prove zero use there either; official statistics only publish names above a minimum threshold.

Official popularity data is available for 4 regions, from 1971 to 2025. Highest recorded position: #249 in Republic of Ireland in 1987. Source data last verified 2026-07-21.

Alec

Alec at a glance

What the data shows

Popularity journey

Alec across 3 official records

Alec by decade in Republic of Ireland · Boys

Alec appears in

Popularity data

What the record shows

Where to go next

Next in the catalogue

A comparable record

Also first recorded in the 1970s

Names published alongside Alec

Alec and the names beside it

Alec moved ahead of

Moved ahead of Alec

Moved the opposite way to Alec

Moved the same way as Alec

Alec at a glance

Alec across 3 official records

Alec by decade in Republic of Ireland · Boys

Alec appears in

What the record shows

Where to go next

Next in the catalogue

A comparable record

Also first recorded in the 1970s

Names published alongside Alec

Alec and the names beside it

Alec moved ahead of

Moved ahead of Alec

Moved the opposite way to Alec

Moved the same way as Alec