NameCensus.

UK boy's name

Alek

A masculine Slavic name meaning "defender of mankind".

For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.

Alek is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Alek popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #2443, with 9 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2016, with 13 births.

This profile covers 126 England and Wales registrations across 19 recorded years from 2000 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.

The latest count is about 69% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 125 living people in the UK are called Alek. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.

Key insights

  • Alek ranked #2443 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 9 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 2016, when 13 boys were registered as Alek.
  • About 125 living people in the UK are estimated to have Alek as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#2443

2024

Births in 2024

9

Latest year

Peak year

2016

13 births

Estimated living

125

2026

Meaning

What does Alek mean?

The name Alek has its origins in the Ancient Greek language and can be traced back to the name Alexandros, which means "defender of men" or "protector of men". This name was popular in ancient Greece and was borne by several notable historical figures, including Alexander the Great, the renowned Macedonian king and military commander who conquered much of the ancient world in the 4th century BC.

The name Alek is a shortened form of the name Alexandros, which was later Latinized as Alexander. This Latinized version became widely used throughout the Roman Empire and eventually spread to other parts of Europe and beyond. Over time, various diminutive forms of the name emerged, including Alek, Alec, and Alex.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Alek can be found in the Byzantine Empire, where it was used as a variant of the name Alexander. In the 9th century AD, there was a Byzantine emperor named Alexios I Komnenos, who ruled from 1081 to 1118. His name was a Greek form of the name Alexandros, and it is possible that the diminutive form Alek was derived from this variant.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Alek, including Alek Wek, a South Sudanese-British model and author who was born in 1977. Another famous Alek is Alek Sandar, a Serbian-American actor known for his roles in films like "The Bourne Identity" and "The Hitman's Bodyguard". He was born in 1972.

In the world of literature, Alek Petöfi was a renowned Hungarian poet and revolutionary who lived from 1823 to 1849. He played a significant role in the Hungarian Revolution of 1848 and is celebrated as one of Hungary's greatest poets.

In the field of science, Alek Issigonis was a British-Turkish designer and engineer who is best known for creating the iconic Mini car. He lived from 1906 to 1988 and his innovative design revolutionized the automotive industry.

Another notable figure with the name Alek is Alek Wek, a South Sudanese-British model and author who was born in 1977. She gained international recognition as one of the first African models to achieve global success and has been a prominent advocate for diversity and inclusion in the fashion industry.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Alek over time

The chart below shows babies named Alek registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 2000 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.

For Alek, the clearest high point is 2016. The latest England and Wales figure is 9 births in 2024, compared with 13 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Alek
0371013200020122024

Decades

Alek by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Alek was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.

Decade Average rank Total births Years covered
2020s #2712 37 5
2010s #3005 70 10
2000s #3296 19 4

Related

Names similar to Alek

FAQ

Alek: questions and answers

How popular is the name Alek in the UK right now?

In 2024, Alek was ranked #2443 for boys in England and Wales, with 9 births registered.

When was Alek most popular?

The peak year on record was 2016, with 13 babies registered as Alek in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Alek?

A masculine Slavic name meaning "defender of mankind".

How many people are called Alek in the UK?

A total of 126 babies have been registered as Alek across the 19 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here.

Which records is this page based on?

The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.