Boys' name · since 1880
Alvah
1,808 babies named Alvah in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1916. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #3,518 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- 1,808
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
Alvah sits outside today's top ranks for boys, with 1,808 recorded since 1880.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Alvah has been recorded 1,808 times among boys since 1880, though it is not among the currently most-used boys names, with its heaviest use in the 1920s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2024.
- #3,518 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- 1,808 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Alvah ranks #3,518 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first). 1,808 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #3,518 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- 1,808
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
Alvah's 1,808 recorded births place it above 92.26% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
7 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Virginia.
Alvah's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Alvah's full recorded timeline at 1933, 39% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 61% in the earlier half -- the name was more prevalent in its earlier era than it is today. Its quietest year on record was 1898, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1916 peak of 55 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Alvah popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2024
- Peak year (1916)
- 55
- Annual births at peak, across 145 years of records
Alvah popularity over time - girls
72 total births recorded since 1900 (Alvah as girls' name)
Alvah by decade
1920s is the heaviest window (369 births, 20% of the file).
1920s was Alvah's strongest decade.
369 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 20% of all-time use.
Alvah births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 132
1880s
132 births
- 1890s 109
1890s
109 births
- 1900s 64
1900s
64 births
- 1910s
1910s
326 births
- 1920s
1920s
369 births
- 1930s
1930s
266 births
- 1940s
1940s
191 births
- 1950s
1950s
184 births
- 1960s 54
1960s
54 births
- 1970s 61
1970s
61 births
- 1980s 29
1980s
29 births
- 2010s 11
2010s
11 births
- 2020s 12
2020s
12 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 369 births (20% of all-time use).
How Alvah 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 Alvah's total volume
Alvah by state
Where Alvah concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Virginia | | 56 | 3.1% |
| #2 | New York | | 25 | 1.4% |
| #3 | Maine | | 21 | 1.2% |
| #4 | Massachusetts | | 11 | 0.6% |
| #5 | New Jersey | | 10 | 0.6% |
| #6 | Georgia | | 5 | 0.3% |
| #7 | North Carolina | | 5 | 0.3% |
56 of 1,808 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 7 reporting states.
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Alvah? ▼
Where does Alvah sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Alvah most popular? ▼
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What to do with Alvah's data
- Alvah's decade-level peak was the 1920s (369 total births); usage has since declined to 12 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Virginia records the most Alvahs (56 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Virginia names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Alvah
Nearby Names Like Alvah
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Alvah
Compare Alvah side by side: Alvah vs Alvin Alvah vs Alvaro Alvah vs Alva
Related Names
Names with a similar number of total births
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Alvah: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1916)
Similar record span (~144 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, 1880–2024 (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 Alvah 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.