Alexia
One who protects or defends mankind, a Greek name meaning "defender".
Name Census estimates that about 44,879 living Americans carry the first name Alexia. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Alexia today is around 22 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Alexia births was 2002 (2,697 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Alexia. 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.
People living today
45K
~ 1 in 7,637 Americans
Peak year
2002
2,697 babies that year
Average age
22
years old
2006 SSA rank
#883
Tracked since 1916
Gender
Gender distribution for Alexia
Out of the 45,989 babies given the name Alexia since 1880, 99.9% were registered as female. The name sits firmly on the female side of the spectrum, with only a handful of male registrations across the entire dataset.
Alexia as a male name
- Ranked #10,722 in 2006
- 6 male births in 2006
- Peak: 2004 (9 births)
Alexia as a female name
- Ranked #883 in 2024
- 305 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2002 (2,691 births)
Popularity
Alexia: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Alexia from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 12 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 21,268 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Alexia 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 Alexia during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Alexias live
The SSA's state-level files cover 51 states and territories. California, Texas, Florida recorded the most babies named Alexia, while Vermont, North Dakota, Wyoming recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 850 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Alexia
The name Alexia has its roots in the Greek language, derived from the word "alexo," which means "to defend" or "to help." It is a feminine form of the name Alexander, which was a popular name among ancient Greek rulers and warriors.
The name Alexia first gained prominence in ancient Greece, where it was associated with strength, courage, and protection. It was often given to girls born into noble families, as it symbolized the qualities that were highly valued in that society.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Alexia can be found in the works of ancient Greek authors, such as Plutarch and Pausanias, who mentioned women bearing this name in their writings. However, there are no significant historical figures from that era solely known by the name Alexia.
During the Byzantine era, the name Alexia became more widespread, particularly among the Eastern Orthodox Christian community. It was sometimes associated with the idea of defending the faith, as the name's meaning resonated with the religious values of the time.
In the Middle Ages, the name Alexia was relatively uncommon in Western Europe, but it saw a resurgence in popularity during the Renaissance period. One notable figure from this time was Alexia Falconieri (1200-1310), an Italian nun and founder of the Order of the Servants of Mary, who is now venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church.
As the use of the name spread across Europe, it gained various spelling variations, such as Alexia, Alexya, and Alecia. In the 19th century, the name became more popular in English-speaking countries, and several notable women bore the name:
1. Alexia Procter (1825-1876), an English novelist and essayist.
2. Alexia von Arnim (1828-1876), a German writer and novelist.
3. Alexia Kharitonov (1892-1975), a Russian-born American sculptor.
4. Alexia Besset (1893-1965), a French actress and singer.
5. Alexia Echevarría (born 1967), an American television personality and businesswoman.
While the name Alexia has maintained a consistent presence throughout history, its popularity has ebbed and flowed in different regions and time periods, reflecting the cultural and linguistic influences that have shaped its evolution.
People
Alexia + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Alexia 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
Alexia: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Alexia?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 44,879 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Alexia 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 7,637 US residents.
Is Alexia a common name?
We classify Alexia as "Uncommon". It ranks above 99.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 45,989 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Alexia most popular?
The single biggest year for Alexia was 2002, when 2,697 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Alexia is about 22 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Alexia a female name?
Yes, 99.9% of people registered as Alexia in the SSA data are female. 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.