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#10,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201916peak #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 1916

girls
#480
176 births · 1 in 5,934 girls
boys
#329
260 births · 1 in 3,423 boys

Top girls' names in 1916

  1. #1Mary61,438
  2. #2Helen32,661
  3. #3Dorothy27,418
  4. #4Margaret24,953
  5. #5Ruth23,189
  6. #6Mildred15,633
  7. #7Anna15,228
  8. #8Elizabeth14,940
  9. #9Frances13,746
  10. #10Virginia12,487
  11. #480Alva176

Top boys' names in 1916

  1. #1John50,043
  2. #2William40,418
  3. #3James35,569
  4. #4Robert31,741
  5. #5Joseph23,883
  6. #6Charles23,612
  7. #7George23,381
  8. #8Edward17,005
  9. #9Frank15,291
  10. #10Thomas11,998
  11. #329Alva260
More about 1916

girls

1,044,334 girls got a published name in 1916; 1 in 5,934 of them was named Alva, which outranked 90.7% of the 5,161 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 23.1% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Alva
  1. #477Linnie178
  2. #477Mina178
  3. #479Katheryn177
  4. #480Alva176
  5. #480Alfreda176
  6. #480Evangeline176
  7. #480Jacqueline176
  8. #484Dovie175
  9. #484Maryann175
  10. #486Eleanora174

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

Biggest movers since 1915
Risers
  1. 567Trinidad#1,317#750
  2. 388Coral#1,367#979
  3. 377Coletta#1,317#940
  4. 370Clifford#1,285#915
  5. 327Maida#1,231#904
Fallers
  1. 364Louis#934#1,298
  2. 354Herminia#944#1,298
  3. 346Gertha#900#1,246
  4. 344Lahoma#934#1,278
  5. 310Hassie#900#1,210

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

boys

890,080 boys got a published name in 1916; 1 in 3,423 of them was named Alva, which outranked 92.7% of the 4,535 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 30.7% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Alva
  1. #324Roman265
  2. #327Kermit263
  3. #327Randolph263
  4. #329Alva260
  5. #329Abe260
  6. #329Christopher260
  7. #332Stuart259
  8. #333Patsy256
  9. #334Dallas255

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

Biggest movers since 1915
Risers
  1. 2,568Tatsuo#3,392#824
  2. 1,088Hughes#1,878#790
  3. 410Angel#1,181#771
  4. 378Trinidad#1,181#803
  5. 354Rolla#1,306#952
Fallers
  1. 500Nicolas#804#1,304
  2. 468Collins#906#1,374
  3. 463Hilliard#952#1,415
  4. 383Arvo#952#1,335
  5. 363Rayford#941#1,304

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

See the top 100 for 1916