Girls' name · since 1880
Althea
Since 1880, U.S. Social Security records show 17,980 babies named Althea, peaking in 1956. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #1,142 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #1,300 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 17,980
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
17,980 babies have been named Althea since 1880, making it today's #1300 girls' name.
Social Security Administration records show Althea recorded 17,980 times among girls since 1880, holding rank #1300 nationally today, ahead of 92% of girls, peaking in the 1950s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #1,142 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #1,300 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 17,980 born since 1880
- 1950s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Althea ranks #1,142 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #1,300 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 17,980 born since 1880, peaking in the 1950s.
- #1,142 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #1,300 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 17,980
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
Althea's 17,980 recorded births place it above 98.42% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
43 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by New York.
How Althea compares
17,980 Top 7% higher than 93% of 17,297 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
Althea's all-time total is 48x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Althea | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 17,980 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 388 | 21 | 19,840 |
Althea's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Althea splits its recorded history at 1953: 48% of all births land in the more recent half, 52% in the earlier half, an evenly balanced pattern over time. The single quietest year was 1881 (8 births) -- compare that against the 1956 peak of 388 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Althea popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1956)
- 388
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Althea popularity over time - boys
5 total births recorded since 1924 (Althea as boys' name)
Althea by decade
1950s is the heaviest window (3,015 births, 17% of the file).
1950s was Althea's strongest decade.
3,015 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 17% of all-time use.
Althea births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 156
1880s
156 births
- 1890s 323
1890s
323 births
- 1900s 496
1900s
496 births
- 1910s
1910s
2,014 births
- 1920s
1920s
2,591 births
- 1930s
1930s
1,472 births
- 1940s
1940s
1,275 births
- 1950s
1950s
3,015 births
- 1960s
1960s
1,791 births
- 1970s 1,002
1970s
1,002 births
- 1980s 592
1980s
592 births
- 1990s 492
1990s
492 births
- 2000s 627
2000s
627 births
- 2010s 1,160
2010s
1,160 births
- 2020s 974
2020s
974 births
What this shows Peak: 1950s at 3,015 births (17% of all-time use).
How Althea 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 Althea's total volume
Althea by state
Where Althea concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 1,567 | 8.7% |
| #2 | Pennsylvania | | 1,425 | 7.9% |
| #3 | Louisiana | | 978 | 5.4% |
| #4 | California | | 809 | 4.5% |
| #5 | Illinois | | 583 | 3.2% |
| #6 | Florida | | 577 | 3.2% |
| #7 | Massachusetts | | 545 | 3.0% |
| #8 | Ohio | | 431 | 2.4% |
1,567 of 17,980 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 43 reporting states.
Althea appears in 43 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Althea? ▼
Where does Althea sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Althea most popular? ▼
Where is Althea most popular? ▼
How long has the name Althea been used? ▼
What names are similar to Althea? ▼
What to do with Althea's data
- Althea's decade-level peak was the 1950s (3,015 total births); usage has since declined to 974 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Altheas (1,567 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Althea
Nearby Names Like Althea
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Althea
Compare Althea side by side: Althea vs Alta Althea vs Altha Althea vs Altagracia
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Althea
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Althea: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1956)
Similar record span (~145 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 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).
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 Althea 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 August 2026.