Total births
11,269
Unisex name · since 1880
Alva
11,269 babies named Alva in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1917. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #8988
- among boys today
- 11,269
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 37%
- more common than other boys
Yes -- Alva is the #8988 most popular unisex name in the U.S. today, with 11,269 recorded since 1880.
Alva has 11,269 recorded births among boys since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #8988 as of the latest data, more common than 37% of boys, 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.
- #8988 among boys today
- 11,269 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
- 37% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Alva is currently the #8988 unisex name in America, more common than 37% of boys - 11,269 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #8988
- among boys today
- 11,269
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 37%
- more common than other boys
Alva vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#8988
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 37% of names given to boys today.
1920s
Peak decade
23% of everyone ever named Alva was born in this single decade.
1917
Single peak year
317 babies were named Alva in 1917 - its busiest year on record.
How Alva compares
11,269 Top 8% higher than 92% of 14,294 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys 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
Alva's all-time total is 31x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Alva | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 11,269 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 317 | 23 | 22,252 |
Alva's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Alva's full recorded timeline at 1950, 17% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 83% in the earlier half -- the name was more prevalent in its earlier era than it is today. Its quietest year on record was 2003, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1917 peak of 317 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Alva at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1917
Current rank
#8,988
Active since
1880
Alva popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1917)
- 317
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Alva popularity over time - girls
8,889 total births recorded since 1880 (Alva as girls' name)
Alva by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1920s was Alva's strongest decade.
2,551 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 23% of all-time use.
Alva births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 663
1880s
663 births
- 1890s 689
1890s
689 births
- 1900s 575
1900s
575 births
- 1910s
1910s
1,978 births
- 1920s
1920s
2,551 births
- 1930s
1930s
1,681 births
- 1940s
1940s
1,216 births
- 1950s 717
1950s
717 births
- 1960s 479
1960s
479 births
- 1970s 292
1970s
292 births
- 1980s 158
1980s
158 births
- 1990s 104
1990s
104 births
- 2000s 52
2000s
52 births
- 2010s 65
2010s
65 births
- 2020s 49
2020s
49 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 2,551 births (23% of all-time use).
How Alva compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Alva's total volume
Alva vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Alva by state
Where Alva concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Ohio | | 636 | 5.6% |
| #2 | Oklahoma | | 599 | 5.3% |
| #3 | Missouri | | 580 | 5.1% |
| #4 | Texas | | 519 | 4.6% |
| #5 | Indiana | | 468 | 4.2% |
| #6 | West Virginia | | 410 | 3.6% |
| #7 | Kentucky | | 376 | 3.3% |
| #8 | Illinois | | 316 | 2.8% |
Ohio share of Alva's total US births 5.6%
Even split
636 of 11,269 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 32 reporting states.
Alva appears in 32 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Alva? ▼
Since 1880, Social Security records show 11,269 babies named Alva. Today it holds rank #8988 among boys. Its busiest year on record was 1917, with 317 births.
When was Alva most popular? ▼
Alva was most popular in the 1920s decade with 2,551 total births. The single peak year was 1917.
Where is Alva most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Alva are Ohio (636 births), Oklahoma (599 births), Missouri (580 births).
Is Alva a unisex name? ▼
Yes, Alva is used for both boys and girls. As a boy's name it has 11,269 births, and as a girl's name it has 8,889 births.
How long has the name Alva been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Alva since 1880 -- 146 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Alva? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Alvin, Alvaro, Alvis, Alvie, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Alva's data
- Alva's decade-level peak was the 1920s (2,551 total births); usage has since declined to 49 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Ohio records the most Alvas (636 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Ohio 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 Alva
Nearby Names Like Alva
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Alva
Alvin Boy
#791 161,414 births
Alvaro Boy
#769 17,357 births
Alvis Boy
#6479 5,206 births
Alvie Boy
#10941 4,094 births
Alvah Boy
#12352 1,808 births
Compare Alva side by side: Alva vs Alvin Alva vs Alvaro Alva vs Alvis
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Alva
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. "Alva: #8988 Unisex Name - 11,269 Births, Peak 1917." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/alva. 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 Alva 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.