# Rex (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/rex/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | boys |
| Origin | Latin |
| Meaning | “king” |
| Pronunciation | /ɹɛks/, 1 syllable |
| Nicknames | none recorded |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |
| US babies named this | 60,590 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 60,449 / 141 (0% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 4,242, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

From Latin rēx (“king”). Doublet of rajah and roy.

## What it means

Rex is grouped under king.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1940 | 5 | 4,897 |
| 1942 | 6 | 4,531 |
| 1952 | 7 | 4,830 |
| 1953 | 6 | 5,532 |
| 1954 | 5 | 6,440 |
| 1956 | 6 | 5,811 |
| 1957 | 7 | 5,273 |
| 1958 | 8 | 4,809 |
| 1959 | 5 | 7,012 |
| 1960 | 6 | 6,239 |
| 1961 | 10 | 4,476 |
| 1964 | 7 | 5,879 |
| 1979 | 7 | 8,737 |
| 1980 | 5 | 11,690 |
| 1984 | 6 | 10,052 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 386 | 618 |
| 2012 | 385 | 631 |
| 2013 | 391 | 630 |
| 2014 | 389 | 661 |
| 2015 | 374 | 680 |
| 2016 | 423 | 633 |
| 2017 | 434 | 607 |
| 2018 | 421 | 631 |
| 2019 | 410 | 651 |
| 2020 | 377 | 683 |
| 2021 | 380 | 698 |
| 2022 | 380 | 697 |
| 2023 | 368 | 722 |
| 2024 | 320 | 787 |
| 2025 | 281 | 859 |

### England and Wales, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 72 | 501 |
| 2012 | 88 | 450 |
| 2013 | 131 | 322 |
| 2014 | 181 | 267 |
| 2015 | 266 | 212 |
| 2016 | 328 | 173 |
| 2017 | 338 | 165 |
| 2018 | 355 | 158 |
| 2019 | 348 | 157 |
| 2020 | 392 | 143 |
| 2021 | 396 | 142 |
| 2022 | 309 | 165 |
| 2023 | 254 | 197 |
| 2024 | 228 | 216 |
| 2025 | 217 | 228 |

## People named Rex

- Rex Tillerson, 69th United States Secretary of State
- Rex Stout, American writer (1886-1975)
- Rex Linn, American actor
- Rex J. Walheim, American astronaut
- Rex Brown, American bassist
- Rex Cawley, American hurdler (1940–2022)
- Rex Allen, American film actor, singer and songwriter (1920–1999)
- Rex Hartwig, Australian tennis player (1929–2022)
- Rex Beach, author and water polo player (1877-1949)
- Rex Ingram, American actor (1895/1903–1969)
- Rex Bell, American actor and politician (1903-1962)
- Rex Lee, American actor

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.