Baby Names US
girls' name ★ peaked 1973

Alethea

Meaning Borrowed from Ancient Greek ἀλήθεια (alḗtheia) Gender Girl Rank 2025 #3,030 Trend ↑ Rising 41%

Borrowed from Ancient Greek ἀλήθεια (alḗtheia).

Rank 2025
#3,030
among girls · ↓369 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
54
named Alethea · -17% vs 2024
How common
1 in 29,764
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1973
322 babies
All-time total
4,968
#2,588 all-time among girls
First recorded
1892
in Social Security records

Alethea popularity over time

4,968 babies have been named Alethea since 1892, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.060.130.190.2518801900192019401960198020002020Peak 1973Girls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – –
1890s 25 3 – #1,444
1900s 37 4 +48% #1,599
1910s 154 15 +316% #1,467
1920s 214 21 +39% #1,377
1930s 108 11 -50% #1,775
1940s 172 17 +59% #1,859
1950s 464 46 +170% #1,320
1960s 680 68 +47% #1,056
1970s 1,215 122 +79% #522
1980s 533 53 -56% #1,532
1990s 286 29 -46% #2,800
2000s 304 30 +6% #3,660
2010s 360 36 +18% #3,131
2020s (to 2025) 416 69 +93% #2,268

Where Alethea is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 girls Implied rank
2026 58 0.04 outside top 500
2027 61 0.04 outside top 500
2028 64 0.04 outside top 500
2029 67 0.04 outside top 500
2030 69 0.04 outside top 500

Where Alethea is most popular

Girls named Alethea per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.044 per 1,000. Strongest in California, Texas, and New York.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are girls named Alethea born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Girls 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
California 44 0.052 +20%
Texas 34 0.042 ≈ national
New York 15 0.038 -13%
Arizona 5 0.036 -18%
Pennsylvania 5 0.021 -52%
Florida 7 0.016 -63%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Georgia – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Illinois – – –
Indiana – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Michigan – – –
Minnesota – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Carolina – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Jersey – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Ohio – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Tennessee – – –
Utah – – –
Virginia – – –
Vermont – – –
Washington – – –
Wisconsin – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Alethea

Alethea is rare for girls in the United States, ranked #3,030 in 2025 with 54 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1892, 4,968 American babies have been named Alethea. Its peak came in 1973, when 322 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1970s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Alethea stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Alethea?

The median living Alethea is about 48 years old; half are between 25 and 57. An estimated 4,200 people named Alethea are alive in the United States today.

median 48 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Alethea year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank
2025 54 #3,030
2024 65 #2,661
2023 74 #2,415
2022 80 #2,320
2021 81 #2,268
2020 62 #2,683
2019 51 #3,131
2018 29 #4,669
2017 50 #3,192
2016 28 #4,858
2015 40 #3,772
2014 36 #4,107
2013 40 #3,785
2012 28 #4,969
2011 33 #4,361
2010 25 #5,424
2009 26 #5,387
2008 28 #5,150
2007 34 #4,384
2006 26 #5,242
2005 27 #4,834
2004 34 #4,094
2003 38 #3,660
2002 26 #4,634
2001 34 #3,788
2000 31 #3,984
1995 25 #4,101
1990 41 #2,800
1985 43 #2,317
1980 76 #1,542
1975 101 #1,145
1970 87 #1,263
1965 65 #1,366
1960 84 #1,188
1955 58 #1,320
1950 34 #1,602
1945 12 #2,602
1940 13 #2,299
1935 10 #2,736
1930 10 #2,846
1925 17 #2,195
1920 33 #1,377
1915 22 #1,571
1910 9 #1,637
1905 – –
1900 – –
1895 – –
1890 – –
1885 – –
1880 – –

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Alethea, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Alethea?

The median living Alethea is about 48 years old. Half of all living Aletheas are between 25 and 57 years old.

How many people named Alethea are alive today?

An estimated 4,200 people named Alethea are alive in the United States, based on 4,968 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Alethea mean?

Borrowed from Ancient Greek ἀλήθεια (alḗtheia).

How popular is the name Alethea in 2025?

Alethea ranked #3,030 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 54 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Alethea?

4,968 babies have been named Alethea in the United States since 1892, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Alethea most popular?

Alethea peaked in 1973, when 322 newborns received the name.

Is Alethea a boy or girl name?

Alethea is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Alethea rising or falling?

Alethea is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Alethea become more popular?

Alethea is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 69 girls named Alethea in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Names like Alethea

Names that sound and feel close to Alethea: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Alethea with similar names → More names starting with A →