From 1880 through 2017, the Social Security Administration recognized 52,431 infants born in the United States with the first name Alec. That's more than enough Alecs to populate the Faroe Islands (Denmark), which have a population of 48,285 people (as of March 1, 2012). Here are the other names that appear most often among American babies: Mary, James, John, Michael, Andrew, Peter and William. The most common first name for all of America is Mary. It appears on the birth records of about 14 million Americans. Second is James, followed by John, Michael, Andrew, Peter and William. These are all very popular names that you might expect. Alec was named after two people, both of them brothers: Alexander Smith McCallum Jr. and Alexander Smith McCallum III. They were prominent surgeons who helped establish hospitals in Chicago and Boston, respectively. The younger Alec was born in 1872 and he got his brother as a given name because they were so much like each other. Alexander Smith McCallum III was also one of the founders of the American College of Surgeons. He became president of this college in 1889 when he was only thirty years old. His brother had died earlier that year. So perhaps it was natural for people to give him the same name that belonged to his deceased colleague.