Total births
28,931
Girls' name · since 1880
Alta
28,931 babies named Alta in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1918. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #5963
- among girls today
- 28,931
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 66%
- more common than other girls
Alta currently ranks #5963 among girls' names in America, with 28,931 babies recorded since 1880.
Alta has 28,931 recorded births among girls since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #5963 as of the latest data, more common than 66% of girls, busiest in the 1920s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #5963 among girls today
- 28,931 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
- 66% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Alta is currently the #5963 girls' name in America, more common than 66% of girls - 28,931 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #5963
- among girls today
- 28,931
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 66%
- more common than other girls
Alta vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#5963
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 66% of names given to girls today.
1920s
Peak decade
21% of everyone ever named Alta was born in this single decade.
1918
Single peak year
820 babies were named Alta in 1918 - its busiest year on record.
How Alta compares
28,931 Top 5% higher than 95% 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
Alta's all-time total is 76x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Alta | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 28,931 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 820 | 48 | 19,840 |
Alta's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Alta's full recorded timeline at 1953, 10% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 90% in the earlier half -- the name was more prevalent in its earlier era than it is today. Its quietest year on record was 1998, with just 12 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1918 peak of 820 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Alta at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1918
Current rank
#5,963
Active since
1880
Alta popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1918)
- 820
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Alta popularity over time - boys
117 total births recorded since 1889 (Alta as boys' name)
Alta by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1920s was Alta's strongest decade.
6,198 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 21% of all-time use.
Alta births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 1,523
1880s
1,523 births
- 1890s
1890s
2,796 births
- 1900s
1900s
3,091 births
- 1910s
1910s
6,028 births
- 1920s
1920s
6,198 births
- 1930s
1930s
3,670 births
- 1940s 2,255
1940s
2,255 births
- 1950s 1,280
1950s
1,280 births
- 1960s 589
1960s
589 births
- 1970s 420
1970s
420 births
- 1980s 289
1980s
289 births
- 1990s 188
1990s
188 births
- 2000s 186
2000s
186 births
- 2010s 244
2010s
244 births
- 2020s 174
2020s
174 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 6,198 births (21% of all-time use).
How Alta 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 Alta's total volume
Alta vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Alta by state
Where Alta concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 1,827 | 6.3% |
| #2 | Oklahoma | | 1,296 | 4.5% |
| #3 | Missouri | | 1,149 | 4.0% |
| #4 | Kentucky | | 1,065 | 3.7% |
| #5 | Arkansas | | 896 | 3.1% |
| #6 | Illinois | | 881 | 3.0% |
| #7 | Pennsylvania | | 777 | 2.7% |
| #8 | Ohio | | 764 | 2.6% |
Texas share of Alta's total US births 6.3%
Even split
1,827 of 28,931 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 43 reporting states.
Alta appears in 43 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Alta? ▼
Since 1880, Social Security records show 28,931 babies named Alta. Today it holds rank #5963 among girls. Its busiest year on record was 1918, with 820 births.
When was Alta most popular? ▼
Alta was most popular in the 1920s decade with 6,198 total births. The single peak year was 1918.
Where is Alta most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Alta are Texas (1,827 births), Oklahoma (1,296 births), Missouri (1,149 births).
How long has the name Alta been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Alta since 1880 -- 146 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Alta? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Althea, Altha, Altagracia, Altie, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Alta's data
- Alta's decade-level peak was the 1920s (6,198 total births); usage has since declined to 174 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Texas records the most Altas (1,827 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas 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 Alta
Nearby Names Like Alta
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Alta
Althea Girl
#1398 17,980 births
Altha Girl
3,365 births
Altagracia Girl
779 births
Altie Girl
650 births
Alton Girl
375 births
Compare Alta side by side: Alta vs Althea Alta vs Altha Alta vs Altagracia
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Alta
Sallie #5962
49,961 births · Peak 1916
Freda #5964
42,527 births · Peak 1918
Avaylah #5961
54 births · Peak 2025
Jeannette #5965
69,251 births · Peak 1917
Rhaena #5960
59 births · Peak 2025
Alvina #5966
10,502 births · Peak 1917
Kemistry #5959
38 births · Peak 2024
Eda #5967
4,208 births · Peak 1916
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, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Alta: #5963 Girls' Name - 28,931 Births, Peak 1918." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/alta. 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 Alta 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.