Baby Names US
boys' name ★ peaked 1928

Alfred

Meaning elf Gender Boy · 1% girls Rank 2025 #840 Trend ↑ Rising 10%

From Middle English Alfred, from Old English Ælfrǣd, from ælf (“elf”) +‎ rǣd (“counsel”).

Rank 2025
#840
among boys · ↓3 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
293
named Alfred · -1% vs 2024
How common
1 in 5,830
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1928
6,291 babies
All-time total
245,153
#161 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Alfred popularity over time

245,153 babies have been named Alfred since 1880, 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
1.883.755.637.518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

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 Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – 4,837 4,837 484 – #32
1890s 13 5,373 5,386 539 +11% #35
1900s 24 6,356 6,380 638 +18% #36
1910s 148 32,635 32,783 3,278 +414% #38
1920s 300 50,156 50,456 5,046 +54% #33
1930s 214 34,392 34,606 3,461 -31% #46
1940s 137 31,998 32,135 3,214 -7% #69
1950s 138 29,752 29,890 2,989 -7% #96
1960s 136 18,656 18,792 1,879 -37% #147
1970s 115 10,531 10,646 1,065 -43% #186
1980s 57 7,452 7,509 751 -29% #255
1990s 10 4,727 4,737 474 -37% #364
2000s – 2,924 2,924 292 -38% #576
2010s – 2,442 2,442 244 -16% #795
2020s (to 2025) – 1,630 1,630 272 +11% #837

Where Alfred is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (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 boys Implied rank
2026 299 0.17 outside top 500
2027 304 0.18 outside top 500
2028 308 0.18 outside top 500
2029 312 0.18 outside top 500
2030 315 0.18 outside top 500

Where Alfred is most popular

Boys named Alfred per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.160 per 1,000. Strongest in Massachusetts, Utah, and Minnesota.

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

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Alfred 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 Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Massachusetts 49 0.356 +123%
Utah 32 0.335 +110%
Minnesota 39 0.318 +99%
Virginia 48 0.253 +58%
New York 105 0.243 +52%
Illinois 60 0.235 +47%
Pennsylvania 60 0.226 +41%
Michigan 40 0.195 +22%
Washington 31 0.189 +19%
Ohio 47 0.177 +11%
Georgia 42 0.166 ≈ national
California 144 0.158 ≈ national
Florida 74 0.156 ≈ national
Colorado 20 0.155 ≈ national
Wisconsin 18 0.152 -5%
Louisiana 15 0.147 -8%
Oregon 11 0.145 -9%
Missouri 20 0.144 -10%
Tennessee 26 0.144 -10%
Maryland 17 0.143 -11%
North Carolina 33 0.129 -19%
Oklahoma 11 0.124 -22%
New Jersey 24 0.119 -25%
Texas 103 0.117 -27%
Connecticut 6 0.089 -45%
Iowa 6 0.087 -46%
Arizona 11 0.067 -58%
Indiana 7 0.044 -73%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Idaho – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Maine – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Vermont – – –
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 Alfred

Alfred is uncommon for boys in the United States, ranked #840 in 2025 with 293 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 245,153 American babies have been named Alfred. Its peak came in 1928, when 6,291 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1920s.

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 Alfred stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Alfred?

The median living Alfred is about 65 years old; half are between 50 and 76. An estimated 88 thousand people named Alfred are alive in the United States today.

median 65 020406080100

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

Alfred year by year

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

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 – – 293 #840
2024 – – 296 #837
2023 – – 245 #928
2022 – – 291 #837
2021 – – 255 #901
2020 – – 250 #899
2019 – – 286 #802
2018 – – 254 #862
2017 – – 252 #864
2016 – – 266 #845
2015 – – 232 #922
2014 – – 288 #795
2013 – – 208 #962
2012 – – 212 #949
2011 – – 219 #919
2010 – – 225 #905
2009 – – 263 #828
2008 – – 278 #787
2007 – – 301 #743
2006 – – 282 #749
2005 – – 280 #725
2004 – – 267 #717
2003 – – 274 #696
2002 – – 284 #657
2001 – – 345 #583
2000 – – 350 #576
1995 – – 449 #482
1990 – – 642 #364
1985 – – 675 #303
1980 8 #7,432 864 #255
1975 5 #9,100 949 #219
1970 12 #4,495 1,418 #190
1965 9 #4,500 1,656 #171
1960 18 #2,905 2,406 #147
1955 6 #5,219 2,980 #119
1950 13 #2,913 3,235 #96
1945 9 #3,135 2,894 #88
1940 14 #2,205 3,062 #69
1935 14 #2,207 3,128 #63
1930 37 #1,232 4,558 #46
1925 30 #1,505 4,796 #43
1920 25 #1,667 5,006 #42
1915 15 #2,052 4,231 #42
1910 5 #2,410 922 #38
1905 – – 591 #43
1900 – – 640 #42
1895 – – 551 #38
1890 – – 549 #35
1885 – – 446 #39
1880 – – 469 #35

Famous people named Alfred

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Alfred Hitchcock Alfred Hitchcock English filmmaker (1899–1980) 19th century
  2. 2 Alfred the Great Alfred the Great King of Wessex (871 – c. 886); King of the Anglo-Saxons (c. 886 – 899) 849–899 · Medieval
  3. 3 Alfred Nobel Alfred Nobel Swedish chemist and inventor (1833–1896) 19th century
  4. 4 Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha from 1893 to 1900 1844–1900 · 19th century
  5. 5 Alfred Rosenberg Alfred Rosenberg Baltic German Nazi theorist and war criminal (1893–1946) 19th century
  6. 6 Alfred Jodl Alfred Jodl German general and war criminal (1890–1946) 19th century
  7. 7 Alfred, Lord Tennyson Alfred, Lord Tennyson British Poet Laureate (1809–1892) 19th century
  8. 8 Alfred Dreyfus Alfred Dreyfus French Army officer (1859–1935) 19th century
  9. 9 Alfred Adler Alfred Adler Austrian psychotherapist (1870–1937) 19th century
  10. 10 Alfred Kinsey Alfred Kinsey American scientist (1894–1956) 19th century
  11. 11 Alfred Russel Wallace Alfred Russel Wallace English naturalist (1823–1913) 19th century
  12. 12 Alfred North Whitehead Alfred North Whitehead English mathematician and philosopher (1861–1947) 19th century
  13. 13 Alfred Wegener Alfred Wegener German climatologist and geophysicist (1880–1930) 19th century
  14. 14 Alfred Hugenberg Alfred Hugenberg German businessman and politician (1865–1951) 19th century
  15. 15 Alfred von Tirpitz Alfred von Tirpitz German naval officer (1849–1930) 19th century
  16. 16 Alfred Marshall Alfred Marshall British economist (1842–1924) 19th century
  17. 17 Alfred von Schlieffen Alfred von Schlieffen German field marshal 1833–1913 · 19th century
  18. 18 Alfred Sisley Alfred Sisley 19th-century French painter 1839–1899 · 19th century
  19. 19 Alfred Tarski Alfred Tarski Polish–American mathematician (1901–1983) Contemporary
  20. 20 Alfred Jarry Alfred Jarry French symbolist writer (1873–1907) 19th century

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Alfred?

The median living Alfred is about 65 years old. Half of all living Alfreds are between 50 and 76 years old.

How many people named Alfred are alive today?

An estimated 88 thousand people named Alfred are alive in the United States, based on 245,153 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Alfred mean?

From Middle English Alfred, from Old English Ælfrǣd, from ælf (“elf”) +‎ rǣd (“counsel”).

How popular is the name Alfred in 2025?

Alfred ranked #840 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 293 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Alfred?

245,153 babies have been named Alfred in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Alfred most popular?

Alfred peaked in 1928, when 6,291 newborns received the name.

Is Alfred a boy or girl name?

Alfred is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 99% of babies with the name.

Is the name Alfred rising or falling?

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

Will Alfred become more popular?

Alfred is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 315 boys named Alfred in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Alfred?

Well-known people named Alfred include Alfred Hitchcock (film director), Alfred the Great (politician), Alfred Nobel (chemist).

Names like Alfred

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

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