Total births
4,968
Girls' name · since 1892
Alethea
4,968 babies named Alethea in U.S. Social Security records since 1892, with the highest year being 1973. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #2664
- among girls today
- 4,968
- born since 1892
- 1970s
- peak decade
- 85%
- more common than other girls
Alethea currently ranks #2664 among girls' names in America, with 4,968 babies recorded since 1892.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Alethea has been recorded 4,968 times among girls since 1892, currently ranked #2664 nationally and more common than 85% of girls, with its heaviest use in the 1970s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1892 to 2025.
- #2664 among girls today
- 4,968 born since 1892
- 1970s peak decade
- 85% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Alethea is currently the #2664 girls' name in America, more common than 85% of girls - 4,968 born since 1892, peaking in the 1970s.
- #2664
- among girls today
- 4,968
- born since 1892
- 1970s
- peak decade
- 85%
- more common than other girls
Alethea vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#2664
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 85% of names given to girls today.
1970s
Peak decade
24% of everyone ever named Alethea was born in this single decade.
1973
Single peak year
322 babies were named Alethea in 1973 - its busiest year on record.
How Alethea compares
4,968 Top 13% higher than 87% of 17,726 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Alethea's all-time total is 13x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Alethea | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 4,968 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 322 | 48 | 19,840 |
Alethea's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Alethea's full recorded timeline at 1962, 73% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 27% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1892, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1973 peak of 322 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Alethea at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1973
Current rank
#2,664
Active since
1892
Alethea popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1892–2025
- Peak year (1973)
- 322
- Annual births at peak, across 134 years of records
Alethea by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1970s was Alethea's strongest decade.
1,215 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 24% of all-time use.
Alethea births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1890s 25
1890s
25 births
- 1900s 37
1900s
37 births
- 1910s 154
1910s
154 births
- 1920s 214
1920s
214 births
- 1930s 108
1930s
108 births
- 1940s 172
1940s
172 births
- 1950s 464
1950s
464 births
- 1960s
1960s
680 births
- 1970s
1970s
1,215 births
- 1980s
1980s
533 births
- 1990s 286
1990s
286 births
- 2000s 304
2000s
304 births
- 2010s 360
2010s
360 births
- 2020s 416
2020s
416 births
What this shows Peak: 1970s at 1,215 births (24% of all-time use).
How Alethea compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Alethea's total volume
Alethea vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Alethea by state
Where Alethea concentrates geographically, total births since 1892
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 352 | 7.1% |
| #2 | New York | | 191 | 3.8% |
| #3 | Texas | | 145 | 2.9% |
| #4 | Georgia | | 108 | 2.2% |
| #5 | Illinois | | 74 | 1.5% |
| #6 | Alabama | | 69 | 1.4% |
| #7 | Pennsylvania | | 66 | 1.3% |
| #8 | Michigan | | 59 | 1.2% |
California share of Alethea's total US births 7.1%
Even split
352 of 4,968 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 30 reporting states.
Alethea appears in 30 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Alethea? ▼
Since 1892, Social Security records show 4,968 babies named Alethea. Today it holds rank #2664 among girls. Its busiest year on record was 1973, with 322 births.
When was Alethea most popular? ▼
Alethea was most popular in the 1970s decade with 1,215 total births. The single peak year was 1973.
Where is Alethea most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Alethea are California (352 births), New York (191 births), Texas (145 births).
How long has the name Alethea been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Alethea since 1892 -- 134 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Alethea? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Alexis, Alexandra, Alexa, Alexandria, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Alethea's data
- Alethea's usage has stayed within range of its 1970s decade-level peak (1,215 total births) through the 2020s (416) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- California records the most Aletheas (352 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Alethea
Nearby Names Like Alethea
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Alethea
Alexis Girl
#501 344,557 births
Alexandra Girl
#221 245,451 births
Alexa Girl
#806 131,551 births
Alexandria Girl
#463 104,548 births
Alejandra Girl
#578 54,015 births
Compare Alethea side by side: Alethea vs Alexis Alethea vs Alexandra Alethea vs Alexa
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Alethea
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1892–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Alethea: #2664 Girls' Name - 4,968 Births, Peak 1973." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/alethea. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Alethea draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.