Ellen vs Alexander
How Ellen and Alexander compare across 146 years of US Social Security Administration baby-name records — popularity history, peak years, current rank, and which name overtook which.
US Popularity History — Side-by-Side
Annual US births named Ellen (girls) vs Alexander (boys), from US Social Security Administration national records.
Source: US Social Security Administration. Names appearing fewer than 5 times per year are suppressed by SSA.
Quick Stats
| Metric | Ellen | Alexander |
|---|---|---|
| Peak year (most US births) | 1951 — 5,945 girls | 1993 — 20,529 boys |
| Peak rank | #68 | #21 |
| Most recent rank (2021) | #920 (289 births) | #30 (7,230 births) |
| Total US births since 1880 | 204,600 | 657,737 |
| Last 10 years (2012–2021) | 3,781 | 100,533 |
Peak comparison takeaway
At its all-time peak, Alexander reached 20,529 US births in 1993 — 14,584 more than Ellen's peak count.
Crossover Years
Years where one name first passed the other in annual US births. A name "winning" in a year means it had more births that year, not necessarily a higher rank.
| Year | New leader | Ellen births | Alexander births |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Alexander | 0 | 2,703 |
Strongest States — Last 10 Years
States where each name ranked highest, from SSA's state-level dataset. Lower average rank = name appears closer to the top of that state's girls-name list.
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Data & methodology
Source: US Social Security Administration national baby names dataset 1880–2025 (CC0 public domain). Names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a given year are suppressed by SSA. State-level coverage runs 1910–2025. Crossover detection compares annual birth counts (not ranks) for each year both names appear. Methodology: see full notes. More comparisons →