Ales
Variant of the masculine name Alexander, derived from ancient Greek, meaning "defender of men".
Name Census estimates that about 7 living Americans carry the first name Ales. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Ales today is around 38 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ales births was 1987 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ales. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Ales. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
7
~ 1 in 48,964,905 Americans
Peak year
1987
7 babies that year
Average age
38
years old
1987 SSA rank
#5,470
Tracked since 1987
Popularity
Ales: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Ales by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Ales during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 7 | 0 | 7 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Ales
The name Ales has its origins in the Slavic languages, particularly in the Czech and Slovak cultures. It is believed to have emerged around the 9th century CE, during the time when the Slavic tribes were settling in Central Europe.
Ales is derived from the Slavic root "lěs," which means "forest" or "woods." This suggests that the name may have been associated with individuals who lived in forested areas or had a connection to nature and the outdoors.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ales can be found in the Chronica Boëmorum, a chronicle written in the 12th century by the Bohemian historian Cosmas of Prague. In this text, Ales is mentioned as the name of a Bohemian nobleman from the 11th century.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Ales. One of the most famous was Ales Hrdlicka (1869-1943), a renowned Czech-American anthropologist and a founder of the field of physical anthropology in the United States.
Another prominent figure was Ales Adamovich (1927-1994), a Belarusian writer and literary critic who played a significant role in the Belarusian national revival movement during the Soviet era.
In the realm of sports, Ales Loprais (born 1979) is a Czech rally driver who has won the Dakar Rally multiple times, cementing his place as one of the most successful Czech motorsport athletes.
Ales Debeljak (1961-2016) was a Slovenian poet, essayist, and cultural critic who gained international recognition for his works exploring themes of identity, memory, and the human condition.
Ales Kunc (1939-2011) was a Czech film director and screenwriter known for his satirical and socially critical works, including the acclaimed film "Blazing Barn" (1973), which addressed the political and social issues of the time.
These are just a few examples of individuals who have carried the name Ales throughout history, each leaving their mark in various fields and contributing to the rich tapestry of cultural and intellectual heritage.
Notable bearers
Famous people named Ales
People
Ales + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ales as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with A
Other first names starting with A with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Ales: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ales?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 7 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ales going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 48,964,905 US residents.
Is Ales a common name?
We classify Ales as "Very Rare". It ranks above 23.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 7 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ales most popular?
The single biggest year for Ales was 1987, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ales is about 38 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Ales a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Ales in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.