Meaning of the nameAlex
- Male
- Greek origin
- A-lex
Alex is a male name of Greek origin, a short form of Alexander, which comes from Greek Alexandros, 'defender of men'.
- People (2022)
- 294,567
- Rank in Brazil
- #101
- Median age
- 32 years
- 2010 Census
- 311,536
- people
Alex in the 2022 Census
People with the first name Alex, by the decade they were born. In the chart, 70 = the 1970s and 20+ = 2020 to 2022. The largest group was born in the 1980s (89,374 people).
2,338 women 292,229 men
Source: IBGE, 2022 Demographic Census, Nomes no Brasil. The census counts the first name of people alive in 2022; small counts are not published, and the first group covers everyone born before 1940. How to read these data.
Where the name Alex is most common
States with the highest share of people named Alex in the population, in the 2022 Census.
- Rio de Janeiro 0.181%
- Amapá 0.179%
- Bahia 0.165%
- São Paulo 0.165%
- Mato Grosso do Sul 0.162%
All states
| State | People | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| São Paulo | 73,144 | 0.165% |
| Rio de Janeiro | 29,044 | 0.181% |
| Minas Gerais | 28,430 | 0.138% |
| Bahia | 23,312 | 0.165% |
| Rio Grande do Sul | 16,474 | 0.151% |
| Paraná | 16,078 | 0.141% |
| Pará | 12,893 | 0.159% |
| Pernambuco | 11,703 | 0.129% |
| Santa Catarina | 10,678 | 0.140% |
| Goiás | 9,529 | 0.135% |
| Ceará | 6,629 | 0.075% |
| Maranhão | 6,354 | 0.094% |
| Amazonas | 5,903 | 0.150% |
| Mato Grosso | 5,359 | 0.147% |
| Espírito Santo | 5,079 | 0.133% |
| Paraíba | 4,811 | 0.121% |
| Alagoas | 4,516 | 0.144% |
| Mato Grosso do Sul | 4,454 | 0.162% |
| Distrito Federal | 3,980 | 0.141% |
| Sergipe | 3,277 | 0.148% |
| Rio Grande do Norte | 3,189 | 0.097% |
| Piauí | 2,717 | 0.083% |
| Rondônia | 2,201 | 0.139% |
| Tocantins | 1,707 | 0.113% |
| Amapá | 1,314 | 0.179% |
| Acre | 956 | 0.115% |
| Roraima | 836 | 0.131% |
States with fewer than 15 people with the name are not shown: IBGE does not publish those counts.
About the name Alex
According to Behind the Name, Alex is a short form of Alexander, Alexandra and other names beginning with Alex-; Wiktionary describes it as a shortening of Alexander. Alexander is the Latinized form of Greek Alexandros, from alexo, 'to defend, to help', and aner, 'man', and Wiktionary sums up the meaning as 'protector'. In the 2022 Census, IBGE recorded 294,567 people named Alex, with a median age of 32. In Brazil it is an almost always male name, although Wiktionary records it in English as a unisex name, and the largest group was born in the 1980s.
Sources
- Behind the Name: Alex · behindthename.com · origin
- Behind the Name: Alexander · behindthename.com · meaning
- Wiktionary: Alex · en.wiktionary.org · origin
Questions about the name Alex
What does the name Alex mean?
Alex means “short form of Alexander, 'defender of men'”, according to Behind the Name.
How many people are named Alex in Brazil?
IBGE's 2022 Census recorded 294,567 people with the first name Alex, which ranks it number 101 among the country's names. The largest group was born in the 1980s.
Is Alex a boy's or a girl's name?
Alex is a male name: in the 2022 Census, 2,338 women and 292,229 men had this name.
What is the origin of the name Alex?
Alex is a name of Greek origin. The sources are listed at the end of the page.
In which Brazilian state is Alex most common?
Proportionally, in Rio de Janeiro: 0.181% of the state's population is named Alex (29,044 people), according to the 2022 Census.
Names that also mean protection
See all- Guilherme♂'helmet of will', from willo, 'will', and helm, 'helmet, protection'676,181 people
- Eduardo♂Rich guard658,697 people
- Bruno♂From Old German brunna, 'armor, protection', or brun, 'brown'645,929 people
- Raimundo♂Counsel and protection497,619 people
- Alexandre♂Defender of men422,722 people
- Willian♂'will' + 'helmet', from Germanic Willahelm161,526 people
- Sandro♂Short form of Alessandro, 'defender of men'113,102 people
- Ângelo♂Angel93,311 people
More names of Greek origin
See all- Pedro♂Stone1,624,478 people
- Lucas♂Probably 'from Lucania', a shortened form of Loukanós1,341,525 people
- Felipe♂Friend of horses676,680 people
- André♂Manly, masculine, from Greek ἀνήρ, 'man'559,511 people
- Leandro♂From Greek léōn, 'lion', and anḗr, 'man'471,532 people
- Jorge♂Farmer, 'worker of the earth'420,414 people
- Tiago♂Derived from Jacob (Yaʿaqov), generally understood as 'one who holds…363,388 people
- Nicolas♂Form of Nicolau (Nicholas), 'victory of the people'310,593 people
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