Will vs Alexander
How Will 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 Will (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 | Will | Alexander |
|---|---|---|
| Peak year (most US births) | 1888 — 707 boys | 1993 — 20,529 boys |
| Peak rank | #28 | #21 |
| Most recent rank (2020) | #942 (234 births) | #30 (7,230 births) |
| Total US births since 1880 | 22,310 | 657,737 |
| Last 10 years (2011–2020) | 2,816 | 100,533 |
Peak comparison takeaway
At its all-time peak, Alexander reached 20,529 US births in 1993 — 19,822 more than Will'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 | Will births | Alexander births |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1907 | Alexander | 260 | 279 |
| 1908 | Will | 274 | 0 |
| 1911 | Alexander | 0 | 426 |
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.
Will — top 5 states
| # | State | Avg rank | Births |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nebraska | #439 | 24 |
| 2 | Minnesota | #468 | 99 |
| 3 | Iowa | #521 | 33 |
| 4 | Utah | #531 | 79 |
| 5 | Massachusetts | #576 | 43 |
Alexander — top 5 states
| # | State | Avg rank | Births |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | #10 | 14,894 |
| 2 | Arizona | #10 | 2,337 |
| 3 | Illinois | #10 | 4,042 |
| 4 | Nevada | #11 | 990 |
| 5 | Florida | #11 | 6,338 |
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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 →