Explore the Family Name Alex
The meaning of Alex
German, French, and Swedish: from the personal name Alex, a short form of Alexis or Alexander. This surname is also found in some African countries.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Alex in the United States?
Based on data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Alex has grown in popularity over the past decade. In 2000, Alex ranked 7142nd in terms of prevalence among all surnames in the United States. This number rose by 12.6% to 6242nd by 2010. The count of people with this surname also increased substantially during this time frame, going from 4314 to 5476, a growth rate of just under 27%. The proportion of individuals named Alex per 100,000 people saw a similar rise, increasing from 1.6 to 1.86.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #7,142 | #6,242 | 12.6% |
| Count | 4,314 | 5,476 | 26.94% |
| Proportion per 100k | 1.6 | 1.86 | 16.25% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Alex
In terms of ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals that there was a substantial change in the ethnic identities associated with the surname Alex between 2000 and 2010. The percentage of Alexs identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander nearly doubled, growing by an impressive 69.53% over the course of the decade. However, those identifying as two or more races, Black, or American Indian and Alaskan Native saw a decrease in this same period, falling by 14.23%, 13.17%, and 3.99% respectively. Meanwhile, the proportion of Alexs identifying as White decreased slightly by 7.52%, while the proportion of those identifying as Hispanic rose by 25.67%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 58.92% | 54.49% | -7.52% |
| Black | 21.49% | 18.66% | -13.17% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 9.32% | 15.8% | 69.53% |
| Hispanic | 4.87% | 6.12% | 25.67% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 3.01% | 2.89% | -3.99% |
| Two or More Races | 2.39% | 2.05% | -14.23% |
Alex ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Alex is British & Irish, which comprises 19.2% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are Malayali Subgroup (15.2%) and Eastern European (14.0%). Additional ancestries include French & German, Greek & Balkan, Nigerian, Italian, and Ashkenazi Jewish.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 19.2% |
| Malayali Subgroup | 15.2% |
| Eastern European | 14.0% |
| Other | 51.6% |
Possible origins of the surname Alex
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Alex have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 39.90% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 39.90% |
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 39.90% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 39.90% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 39.10% |
What Alex haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Alex is E-P179, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup E-P179 is descended from haplogroup E-M96. Other common haplogroups include J-L26 and I-DF29, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Turk, Schuster, Adam, Jacob, Nathan, Niehaus, Nicosia, Nicely, Earhart, Earp.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Alex surname are: M, H1, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins E-M96Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette
Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.
What do people with the surname Alex have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Alex" Surname 40.5%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Cheek Dimples
Small indentations that appear on the cheeks when a person smiles.
"Alex" Surname 47.1%
23andMe Users 37.6%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Alex" Surname 15.9%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Alex" Surname 9.4%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Alex?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Alex are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition