Alva

#5,554 for girls in 2025, 22 births · #10,695 for boys in 2025, 6 births
Given to boys 55.9% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · boys
1882 · 85 births
Debut · boys
70 births
In top 100 · boys
never
of 146 years
Total births · boys
11,269
since 1880

Alva over time

girlsboys

Rank within each sex, plotted together. Click any year to open it.

#1#10#100#1,000#10,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201894peak #334, 1896peak #161, 1882girlsboys
Hover or use arrow keys to read values by year; click or press Enter to open that year.

Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.

Show data table
Yeargirlsboys
rankbirthsrankbirths
2025#5,55422#10,6956
2024#4,47331#8,9878
2023#5,24824#7,73810
2022#4,67129#7,76810
2021#4,60729#12,1465
2020#3,60741#7,50210
2019#4,34332#12,1455
2018#4,76828#7,61710
2017#5,82121#6,33813
2016#4,99027#7,15711
2015#6,45219#10,6446
2014#8,96612#10,7176
2013#8,13514#8,7898
2012#8,20814
2011#8,61413
2010#7,21717#10,7666
2009#9,37912
2008#8,10915#11,0376
2007#8,52014#7,59010
2006#17,1685
2005#8,33013#11,4725
2004#6,76817#7,5369
2003#6,57617#10,8945
2002#7,81613
2001#11,0208#9,2436
2000#5,93718#5,92011
1999#10,3458#5,65611
1998#6,71914#6,8438
1997#12,0706#5,64210
1996#5,53117#5,9829
1995#7,04112#4,05215
1994#7,09712#6,3728
1993#4,39323#5,00211
1992#4,52822#4,32713
1991#5,39917#6,5197
1990#3,90926#4,40712
1989#2,71441#3,44616
1988#3,16531#3,70513
1987#5,31214#4,5739
1986#4,18619#3,13115
1985#2,70435#3,40113
1984#4,47816#3,45912
1983#2,97528#2,78716
1982#3,26026#2,26922
1981#2,72333#2,77916
1980#2,60336#2,05826
1979#3,54122#2,46519
1978#2,85928#1,71831
1977#2,90927#1,85827
1976#2,66429#1,99924
1975#2,51631#1,83526
1974#2,68327#1,74727
1973#2,45530#1,35438
1972#2,45129#1,60329
1971#1,90645#1,41536
1970#1,82848#1,41635
1969#2,02338#1,07552
1968#1,64749#1,28235
1967#1,88139#1,25336
1966#1,70044#1,19439
1965#1,52853#1,12944
1964#1,51856#1,05951
1963#1,56552#1,15145
1962#1,27875#1,05652
1961#1,53354#95065
1960#1,43059#98160
1959#1,49952#92668
1958#1,24073#1,00657
1957#1,17381#99558
1956#1,11685#96959
1955#1,01098#80782
1954#1,03989#89268
1953#1,17867#88965
1952#1,04681#71497
1951#97791#85766
1950#1,01880#69597
1949#97384#649111
1948#92388#633115
1947#90995#595131
1946#93679#603114
1945#92567#558115
1944#83683#579112
1943#78897#508148
1942#80291#532131
1941#73593#586102
1940#70298#497137
1939#623117#485140
1938#687100#463156
1937#624118#452155
1936#638106#416177
1935#604116#470146
1934#604119#451155
1933#597117#442156
1932#559137#424175
1931#568135#385213
1930#631120#402208
1929#609126#369241
1928#545163#416207
1927#552164#374245
1926#570156#364259
1925#580154#388239
1924#560167#362273
1923#593149#359274
1922#534174#384246
1921#553165#351289
1920#541173#353278
1919#516174#349264
1918#483196#346273
1917#526161#294317
1916#480176#329260
1915#518146#324262
1914#507121#350178
1913#413142#307167
1912#414125#312138
1911#44683#36358
1910#44580#31761
1909#44270#26868
1908#46460#38936
1907#41274#27259
1906#42365#24664
1905#44258#26357
1904#46949#27349
1903#41458#25750
1902#42054#23460
1901#42849#22859
1900#40767#23773
1899#46739#21361
1898#41156#21567
1897#40851#20469
1896#33476#21968
1895#35761#19774
1894#39850#19476
1893#42241#20866
1892#41940#20274
1891#50626#18866
1890#42935#19468
1889#54322#20562
1888#43932#20274
1887#37832#20158
1886#47621#20664
1885#52017#24346
1884#7319#20962
1883#8176#17272
1882#50713#16185
1881#47013#17170
1880#40317#18070
First appearance
1880

In the first year the SSA published name data, Alva was already there! It came in at #180, and was given to 70 baby boys.


Quietest stretch: 2002–2003, when fewer than 6 boys a year got the name.

See more about Alva
Momentum · boys
Falling
  • 1,708 spots since 2024 (#8,987#10,695)
  • 3,193 spots since 2020 (#7,502#10,695)
  • 51 spots since 2015 (#10,644#10,695)
  • Biggest jump: 143 spots in 1952 (#857#714)
  • Biggest drop: 175 spots in 1953 (#714#889)
Rise & fade · boys
2 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1880
  • Peaked 1882 at #161 (85 births)
  • Births halved by 1908, 26 yrs later
Top of the charts · boys
Top 1,000 for 81 yrs
  • Top 10: never
  • Top 100: never
  • Top 1,000: 81 yrs · run 1880–1957
Share of babies · boys
1 in 1,337
  • Highest: 1 in 1,337 boys born in 1882 were named Alva (0.07%)
  • Latest: 1 in 284,679 boys born in 2025 (0.00%)
Era · boys
The 1920s
  • 22.6% of all boys named Alva (2,551) were born in this decade
Girls or boys?
Flipped in 2000
  • Mostly boys until 1999, mostly girls since
all girlsall boys
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1880s663#161 (1882)#195
1890s689#188 (1891)#203
1900s575#228 (1901)#267
1910s1,978#294 (1917)#329
1920s2,551#351 (1921)#372
1930s1,681#385 (1931)#439
1940s1,216#497 (1940)#574
1950s717#695 (1950)#875
1960s479#950 (1961)#1,113
1970s292#1,354 (1973)#1,741
1980s158#2,058 (1980)#3,161
1990s104#4,052 (1995)#5,480
2000s52#5,920 (2000)#9,099
2010s65#6,338 (2017)#9,272
2020s49#7,502 (2020)#9,139

All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 boys in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.

Alva in 1894

girls
#398
50 births · 1 in 4,458 girls
boys
#194
76 births · 1 in 1,523 boys

Top girls' names in 1894

  1. #1Mary13,151
  2. #2Anna5,565
  3. #3Margaret3,700
  4. #4Helen3,676
  5. #5Elizabeth3,425
  6. #6Ruth3,372
  7. #7Ethel3,287
  8. #8Florence3,233
  9. #9Emma2,937
  10. #10Marie2,649
  11. #398Alva50

Top boys' names in 1894

  1. #1John8,237
  2. #2William7,274
  3. #3James5,110
  4. #4George4,365
  5. #5Charles3,788
  6. #6Joseph2,977
  7. #7Frank2,863
  8. #8Robert2,497
  9. #9Henry2,278
  10. #10Harry2,189
  11. #194Alva76
More about 1894

girls

222,922 girls got a published name in 1894; 1 in 4,458 of them was named Alva, which outranked 76.6% of the 1,702 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 20.2% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Alva
  1. #395Maybelle51
  2. #395Sudie51
  3. #395Zola51
  4. #398Alva50
  5. #399Carmen49
  6. #399Eddie49
  7. #399Lennie49
Biggest movers since 1893
Risers
  1. 794Versie#1,437#643
  2. 613Nadine#1,277#664
  3. 587Genoveva#1,437#850
  4. 558Lavada#1,277#719
  5. 532Libby#1,437#905
Fallers
  1. 691Macy#794#1,485
  2. 659Fredericka#826#1,485
  3. 586Dee#767#1,353
  4. 584Katharyn#901#1,485
  5. 584Leva#901#1,485

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

boys

115,768 boys got a published name in 1894; 1 in 1,523 of them was named Alva, which outranked 84.3% of the 1,239 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 35.9% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Alva
  1. #190Perry78
  2. #192Nathaniel77
  3. #192Nicholas77
  4. #194Alva76
  5. #194Gus76
  6. #194Nelson76
  7. #197Gerald75
  8. #198Noah74
  9. #199Abraham73

Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1893
Risers
  1. 514Levy#1,035#521
  2. 514Orrin#1,035#521
  3. 488Alvie#907#419
  4. 468Jonnie#1,035#567
  5. 441Carson#1,035#594
Fallers
  1. 683Lindsay#391#1,074
  2. 519Minnie#435#954
  3. 475Ludwig#479#954
  4. 459Alice#615#1,074
  5. 459Julia#615#1,074

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

See the top 100 for 1894