Alva
Alva is given to both girls and boys: 22 girls and 6 boys were given it in 2025 (#5,566 among girls’ names and #10,758 among boys’, #8,261 among all names counting both); 20,158 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026). Girls have outnumbered boys among babies named Alva every year since 1962.
An estimated 5,330 Americans named Alva and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (26% of everyone recorded); the median is 66 years old and half are between 46 and 78.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Alva by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Alva mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Alva is “a male given name.”
/ˈæl.və/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Alva?
#10,758 among boys’ names, 2025
Alva fell from #10,714 in 2015 to #10,758 in 2025 among boys’ names, although its share of boys born rose from 3.1 to 3.5 per million.
478 babies in 1917, the peak
Alva peaked in 1917, when 478 babies were given it (317 boys, #294 among boys’ names). The 28 births of 2025 (girls and boys) are 6% of that peak.
Births by sex.
| Year | Girls | Girls’ rank | Boys | Boys’ rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 22 | #5,566 | 6 | #10,758 |
| 2024 | 31 | #4,478 | 8 | #9,024 |
| 2023 | 24 | #5,253 | 10 | #7,770 |
| 2022 | 29 | #4,674 | 10 | #7,784 |
| 2021 | 29 | #4,617 | 5 | #12,231 |
| 2020 | 41 | #3,615 | 10 | #7,519 |
| 2019 | 32 | #4,350 | 5 | #12,227 |
| 2018 | 28 | #4,773 | 10 | #7,645 |
| 2017 | 21 | #5,831 | 13 | #6,345 |
| 2016 | 27 | #4,998 | 11 | #7,165 |
Every recorded year (146)
| Year | Girls | Girls’ rank | Boys | Boys’ rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 19 | #6,471 | 6 | #10,714 |
| 2014 | 12 | #9,005 | 6 | #10,772 |
| 2013 | 14 | #8,164 | 8 | #8,830 |
| 2012 | 14 | #8,227 | under 5 | |
| 2011 | 13 | #8,649 | under 5 | |
| 2010 | 17 | #7,233 | 6 | #10,824 |
| 2009 | 12 | #9,405 | under 5 | |
| 2008 | 15 | #8,124 | 6 | #11,099 |
| 2007 | 14 | #8,543 | 10 | #7,615 |
| 2006 | 5 | #17,320 | under 5 | |
| 2005 | 13 | #8,355 | 5 | #11,535 |
| 2004 | 17 | #6,784 | 9 | #7,553 |
| 2003 | 17 | #6,592 | 5 | #10,954 |
| 2002 | 13 | #7,843 | under 5 | |
| 2001 | 8 | #11,069 | 6 | #9,285 |
| 2000 | 18 | #5,945 | 11 | #5,928 |
| 1999 | 8 | #10,385 | 11 | #5,661 |
| 1998 | 14 | #6,729 | 8 | #6,862 |
| 1997 | 6 | #12,153 | 10 | #5,652 |
| 1996 | 17 | #5,535 | 9 | #5,989 |
| 1995 | 12 | #7,064 | 15 | #4,055 |
| 1994 | 12 | #7,114 | 8 | #6,395 |
| 1993 | 23 | #4,392 | 11 | #5,010 |
| 1992 | 22 | #4,525 | 13 | #4,325 |
| 1991 | 17 | #5,405 | 7 | #6,531 |
| 1990 | 26 | #3,905 | 12 | #4,409 |
| 1989 | 41 | #2,710 | 16 | #3,449 |
| 1988 | 31 | #3,162 | 13 | #3,708 |
| 1987 | 14 | #5,319 | 9 | #4,580 |
| 1986 | 19 | #4,191 | 15 | #3,133 |
| 1985 | 35 | #2,705 | 13 | #3,402 |
| 1984 | 16 | #4,479 | 12 | #3,465 |
| 1983 | 28 | #2,979 | 16 | #2,790 |
| 1982 | 26 | #3,259 | 22 | #2,270 |
| 1981 | 33 | #2,723 | 16 | #2,780 |
| 1980 | 36 | #2,605 | 26 | #2,059 |
| 1979 | 22 | #3,543 | 19 | #2,466 |
| 1978 | 28 | #2,862 | 31 | #1,719 |
| 1977 | 27 | #2,909 | 27 | #1,859 |
| 1976 | 29 | #2,664 | 24 | #2,000 |
| 1975 | 31 | #2,518 | 26 | #1,835 |
| 1974 | 27 | #2,683 | 27 | #1,749 |
| 1973 | 30 | #2,458 | 38 | #1,355 |
| 1972 | 29 | #2,454 | 29 | #1,604 |
| 1971 | 45 | #1,906 | 36 | #1,415 |
| 1970 | 48 | #1,828 | 35 | #1,415 |
| 1969 | 38 | #2,025 | 52 | #1,075 |
| 1968 | 49 | #1,648 | 35 | #1,284 |
| 1967 | 39 | #1,882 | 36 | #1,252 |
| 1966 | 44 | #1,700 | 39 | #1,194 |
| 1965 | 53 | #1,529 | 44 | #1,129 |
| 1964 | 56 | #1,518 | 51 | #1,059 |
| 1963 | 52 | #1,564 | 45 | #1,150 |
| 1962 | 75 | #1,278 | 52 | #1,056 |
| 1961 | 54 | #1,533 | 65 | #949 |
| 1960 | 59 | #1,429 | 60 | #982 |
| 1959 | 52 | #1,498 | 68 | #925 |
| 1958 | 73 | #1,239 | 57 | #1,005 |
| 1957 | 81 | #1,172 | 58 | #994 |
| 1956 | 85 | #1,115 | 59 | #968 |
| 1955 | 98 | #1,009 | 82 | #806 |
| 1954 | 89 | #1,038 | 68 | #891 |
| 1953 | 67 | #1,177 | 65 | #888 |
| 1952 | 81 | #1,045 | 97 | #713 |
| 1951 | 91 | #976 | 66 | #856 |
| 1950 | 80 | #1,017 | 97 | #694 |
| 1949 | 84 | #972 | 111 | #648 |
| 1948 | 88 | #922 | 115 | #632 |
| 1947 | 95 | #908 | 131 | #595 |
| 1946 | 79 | #935 | 114 | #603 |
| 1945 | 67 | #926 | 115 | #558 |
| 1944 | 83 | #836 | 112 | #579 |
| 1943 | 97 | #788 | 148 | #508 |
| 1942 | 91 | #802 | 131 | #532 |
| 1941 | 93 | #735 | 102 | #586 |
| 1940 | 98 | #702 | 137 | #497 |
| 1939 | 117 | #623 | 140 | #485 |
| 1938 | 100 | #687 | 156 | #463 |
| 1937 | 118 | #624 | 155 | #452 |
| 1936 | 106 | #638 | 177 | #416 |
| 1935 | 116 | #604 | 146 | #470 |
| 1934 | 119 | #604 | 155 | #451 |
| 1933 | 117 | #597 | 156 | #442 |
| 1932 | 137 | #559 | 175 | #424 |
| 1931 | 135 | #568 | 213 | #385 |
| 1930 | 120 | #631 | 208 | #402 |
| 1929 | 126 | #610 | 241 | #369 |
| 1928 | 163 | #545 | 207 | #416 |
| 1927 | 164 | #552 | 245 | #374 |
| 1926 | 156 | #570 | 259 | #364 |
| 1925 | 154 | #580 | 239 | #388 |
| 1924 | 167 | #560 | 273 | #362 |
| 1923 | 149 | #593 | 274 | #359 |
| 1922 | 174 | #534 | 246 | #384 |
| 1921 | 165 | #553 | 289 | #351 |
| 1920 | 173 | #541 | 278 | #353 |
| 1919 | 174 | #516 | 264 | #350 |
| 1918 | 196 | #484 | 273 | #346 |
| 1917 | 161 | #526 | 317 | #294 |
| 1916 | 176 | #481 | 260 | #330 |
| 1915 | 146 | #518 | 262 | #324 |
| 1914 | 121 | #507 | 178 | #350 |
| 1913 | 142 | #413 | 167 | #307 |
| 1912 | 125 | #414 | 138 | #312 |
| 1911 | 83 | #447 | 58 | #363 |
| 1910 | 80 | #445 | 61 | #317 |
| 1909 | 70 | #442 | 68 | #268 |
| 1908 | 60 | #464 | 36 | #389 |
| 1907 | 74 | #412 | 59 | #272 |
| 1906 | 65 | #423 | 64 | #246 |
| 1905 | 58 | #442 | 57 | #263 |
| 1904 | 49 | #470 | 49 | #273 |
| 1903 | 58 | #414 | 50 | #257 |
| 1902 | 54 | #420 | 60 | #234 |
| 1901 | 49 | #428 | 59 | #228 |
| 1900 | 67 | #408 | 73 | #237 |
| 1899 | 39 | #469 | 61 | #213 |
| 1898 | 56 | #412 | 67 | #216 |
| 1897 | 51 | #408 | 69 | #204 |
| 1896 | 76 | #334 | 68 | #219 |
| 1895 | 61 | #357 | 74 | #197 |
| 1894 | 50 | #398 | 76 | #194 |
| 1893 | 41 | #422 | 66 | #208 |
| 1892 | 40 | #420 | 74 | #202 |
| 1891 | 26 | #507 | 66 | #188 |
| 1890 | 35 | #429 | 68 | #194 |
| 1889 | 22 | #543 | 62 | #205 |
| 1888 | 32 | #439 | 74 | #202 |
| 1887 | 32 | #379 | 58 | #201 |
| 1886 | 21 | #476 | 64 | #206 |
| 1885 | 17 | #522 | 46 | #243 |
| 1884 | 9 | #735 | 62 | #209 |
| 1883 | 6 | #821 | 72 | #172 |
| 1882 | 13 | #508 | 85 | #162 |
| 1881 | 13 | #470 | 70 | #171 |
| 1880 | 17 | #404 | 70 | #180 |
Ranks: girls’ names and boys’ names ranked separately in each year’s SSA file; “under 5” is a year SSA did not list the name for that sex.
Is Alva a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Of the 20,158 Americans recorded as Alva, 44% are girls and 56% boys.
Years with fewer than 20 babies given the name are left blank.
Girls and boys named Alva: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Alva, and how old are they?
5,330 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 26% of the 20,158 Americans ever recorded as Alva. The median Alva alive today is 66 years old; half are between 46 and 78.
The 2020 Census counted 7,273 people named Alva (4,457 women and girls, 2,816 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 6,344 born in the U.S. The Census count is 15% above that prediction. Possible reasons: the Census counts people born abroad, whom SSA’s files leave out, and it records the name people give, which SSA may have recorded under another spelling or as part of a compound name.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 1,010 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 2,020 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 990 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 557 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 287 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 434 |
An estimate, not a count. SSA’s files count people born in the United States who received a Social Security number, so anyone born abroad is not in them; before 1937 most people got a number as adults, and their survival is counted from that age.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named Alva born?
The states with the most babies named Alva are Texas, Oklahoma and Ohio, with 29% of its births recorded by state since 1910; Oklahoma is not among the ten states with the most births.
| State | Since 1910 | Rank, boys | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 1,435 | not ranked | 1.4× |
| Oklahoma | 777 | not ranked | 2.4× |
| Ohio | 642 | not ranked | 0.7× |
| Missouri | 640 | not ranked | 1.4× |
| Kentucky | 600 | not ranked | 1.5× |
| California | 559 | not ranked | 0.6× |
| Georgia | 471 | not ranked | 0.9× |
| Indiana | 468 | not ranked | 1.1× |
| West Virginia | 425 | not ranked | 1.6× |
| Illinois | 399 | not ranked | 0.4× |
Where Alva is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Alva is most over-represented in Oklahoma: since 1910 it was given 2.4 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among boys’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of Alva with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names spelled alike
Of these 7 names spelled alike, given to 28,201 babies since 1880, Alva is the most given (71% of them). In 2025 it was given to 28 of their 50 babies (56%), again the most given.
Spelled alike: names in the SSA national file with the same pattern of letters and sounds and at most two letters apart, and Wiktionary’s listed forms; births since 1880 and in 2025, and each name’s peak year, from the SSA national file, published May 8, 2026. Some are separate names, not spellings of one.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Alva
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
| Name | Recorded | 1880-2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Orie | 2,156 |
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about Alva and names like it
- Compare Alva and AlvieBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 1910sAlva peaked in 1917.
- Texas’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Alva since 1910.
- The top names of 1917The year the most babies were named Alva.
- The names of the Baby BoomersMost people named Alva alive today were born 1946-1964.
- Names starting with AMost given first.