Find out how popular the last name Alexander is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Alexander.

Alexander, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Alexander surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Alexander in America

Alexander is the 118th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Alexander surname appeared 204,621 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 69 people would have the surname Alexander.

We can also compare 2010 data for Alexander to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Alexander

The surname Alexander is derived from the Greek name Alexandros, which means "defender of men." This name has its origins in ancient Greece and is believed to have first appeared in the 4th century BC.

The name Alexander is thought to have spread across Europe during the time of the Roman Empire, as Greek culture and language had a significant influence on the Romans. Some of the earliest recorded instances of the surname can be found in medieval manuscripts and records from various European regions.

One of the most notable bearers of this surname was Alexander the Great, the legendary Macedonian king who lived from 356 BC to 323 BC and conquered much of the known world at that time. His conquests and exploits helped to spread the name Alexander throughout the lands he conquered.

In Britain, the surname Alexander can be traced back to the Norman Conquest of 1066. It is believed that some of the Norman invaders bore this name, and it was subsequently adopted by the local population. The Domesday Book, a record of landowners compiled in 1086, includes several entries for individuals with the surname Alexander.

Another famous bearer of this surname was Alexander Nevsky, a prince of Novgorod and Grand Prince of Vladimir who lived from 1220 to 1263. He is revered as a national hero in Russia for his military victories against the Swedes and the Teutonic Knights.

During the Renaissance period, the name Alexander gained further popularity due to the influence of classical Greek and Roman culture. Notable individuals with this surname include Alexander Hamilton (1755-1804), one of the Founding Fathers of the United States and the first Secretary of the Treasury.

Other historical figures with the surname Alexander include Samuel Alexander (1859-1938), a British philosopher and one of the founders of the school of thought known as British Idealism, and Sir William Alexander (1567-1640), a Scottish poet and courtier who was granted a large territory in North America, which he named Nova Scotia.

Throughout history, the surname Alexander has been associated with various place names and has undergone various spelling variations, such as Alesaundre, Alisaundre, and Alysaundre, reflecting the linguistic and cultural influences of different regions and time periods.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Alexander

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Alexander.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Alexander was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Alexander has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Alexander was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Alexander, please contact us.

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