Rex

Did you know?

A few things about Rex you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Rex

Rex Stout

American writer (1886-1975)

Choose Rex and your child shares a first name with Rex Stout, an American writer. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Rex, like who?” Rex Stout's Wikipedia article is available in 44 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Rex Stout on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Jill Krementz, Public domain (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 6,079 baby boys born in the US in 2025 was named Rex, 281 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Rex would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryRex has been in use since at least 1880, the first year US birth records were kept. That's 145 years of Rexs, and counting.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 1951, when it ranked #170. Today it's #859, so it could be due a comeback.
• 📈Then vs nowRex is 2.9× more common today than it was in 2000. In 2000 it was given to about 1 in 17,544 baby boys; in 2025, about 1 in 6,079.
• 🍂TrendRex has slipped 178 places over the last five years and now sits at #859. Good news if you want a familiar name that fewer kids will share.
• 📍Where it's lovedRex is most popular in Utah, where it ranks #351, followed by Oklahoma (#504) and Arizona (#559). It's in the top 1,000 in 20 states.
• 💬MeaningIn Latin, Rex means “king”.

About the name Rex

Rex is a boy name of Latin origin meaning “king”. It has 3 letters and 1 syllable, starting with R and ending in “-rex”. US birth records list Rex for boys from 1880 to 2025, in 146 of those 146 years. Its best year was 1951, when it ranked #170 among boy names. In 2025 it ranked #859, with 281 babies.

Origin:Latin names