Ira vs Alexander
How Ira 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 Ira (boys) 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 | Ira | Alexander |
|---|---|---|
| Peak year (most US births) | 2021 — 301 boys | 1993 — 20,529 boys |
| Peak rank | #809 | #21 |
| Most recent rank (2025) | #822 (301 births) | #30 (7,230 births) |
| Total US births since 1880 | 6,540 | 657,737 |
| Last 10 years (2016–2025) | 2,573 | 100,533 |
Peak comparison takeaway
At its all-time peak, Alexander reached 20,529 US births in 1993 — 20,228 more than Ira'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 | Ira births | Alexander births |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1886 | Alexander | 198 | 206 |
| 1887 | Ira | 215 | 180 |
| 1888 | Alexander | 222 | 237 |
| 1889 | Ira | 207 | 185 |
| 1893 | Alexander | 181 | 218 |
| 1894 | Ira | 206 | 199 |
| 1896 | Alexander | 0 | 232 |
| 1897 | Ira | 180 | 0 |
| 1899 | Alexander | 0 | 178 |
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 boys-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 →