Alex — Family Name, Records and Arms

Alex began as an English family name. The usual explanation, from Elsdon Smith, is “descendant of Alex, a pet form of Alexander (helper of mankind)”.

Researching the origin

Like many surnames, it grew out of a personal name.

In the records

In the 2010 US Census, 5,476 Americans gave Alex as their last name (rank 6,242). That is enough to place it in the top 10,000 American surnames. Spanish statistics put 246 people with Alex in first position and 251 in second.

Family crest and blazon

A coat of arms was granted to a particular family line, not to everyone named Alex, so a shared surname is a clue rather than a claim to the arms.

Get the complete Alex report, with a museum-style coat of arms.