JD Vance announces new baby name—and it’s declining in popularity
Vice President JD Vance and second lady Usha Vance have revealed the name of their newborn son—Alec Neel Vance—but while the choice may feel classic, the name Alec is far less common than it once was.
The couple announced the arrival of their fourth child on Sunday in a statement shared on Instagram and X (@jdvance).
“We are excited to announce that our baby boy, Alec Neel Vance, was born this morning,” Vance wrote. “Usha and the baby are happy and healthy, and our kids are overjoyed to meet their little brother.”
The new parents also thanked military doctors and staff at the Walter Reed Medical Center, and the White House Medical Unit.
The official White House X page also reshared their post, adding: “Congratulations to Vice President JD Vance and Second Lady Usha Vance on the birth of their fourth child!”
Alec’s arrival is also a rare moment in modern U.S. political history. He is the first child born to a sitting vice president in more than 150 years.
The last vice president to welcome a child while in office was Schuyler Colfax, whose son was born in 1870.
The birth comes six months after the Vances announced in January that they were expecting another son. Alec joins older siblings Ewan, 9, Vivek, 6, and 4-year-old Mirabel.
At 40, Usha Vance belongs to the fastest-growing group of mothers in America. Births among women aged 40 and older have risen markedly in recent decades, even as overall U.S. birth rates have declined.
The name chosen by the Vances was once a popular choice among Americans, but it has steadily fallen out of favor over the past two decades.
According to data from the Social Security Administration (SSA) starting in 1900, Alec reached its highest ranking in 1994, reaching 109th place, with 3,322 babies born that year given that name.
Following that peak, it steadily declined over the years, and by 2025 it had dropped to 977th place, with just 234 babies given the name Alec last year.
The name had a rocky start, coming in at 650th place in 1900, then ranking at 939th place in 1927, and in 1947—the next year data for Alec is available—it had marginally improved, coming in 912th position.
Over the next few decades its position varied slightly, still ranking in the top 1,000, but never breaking out of the 600 bracket.
The year 1979, when the name ranked 917th, marked the start of a nearly unbroken upward trajectory, seeing the name climb to its peak in 1994. It remained popular, ranking 112th the following year, 117th in 1996, dipping slightly to 123rd spot in 1997, before back to 112th place in 1998.
After that, the name continued to decline in popularity, consistently slipping down the ranks over the years with only one rise, from 467th place in 2014 to 456th in 2015, before continuing its downward trajectory to its current position.
The trend contrasts sharply with today’s most popular baby names. According to the SSA’s latest rankings, Liam, Noah, Oliver, Theodore and Henry were the five most common boys’ names in the U.S. in 2025, while Olivia, Charlotte, Emma, Amelia and Sophia topped the girls’ list.
Alec’s decline also reflects a broader shift in American naming habits. According to a 2025 Nameberry survey, more than three-quarters of parents said they would avoid choosing a top 10 baby name, as more parents are opting for names that feel a little more distinctive.
Even among the Vances’ older children, none of their names rank among the SSA’s current top 1,000 baby names.
Ewan, Vivek and Mirabel remain relatively uncommon choices in the United States, placing them well outside the mainstream compared with perennial favorites such as Liam and Olivia.
The couple’s choice of Alec fits neatly alongside those names. Once a common baby-name pick in the U.S., Alec has become increasingly uncommon in recent decades—making it another distinctive addition to the Vance family.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Rebecca Flood and Emma Lee-Sang
