Baby Names US
Unisex name ★ peaked 1917

Alpha

Meaning Alpha is a unisex given name Gender Unisex · 72% girls Rank 2025 #13,298 Trend ↓ Falling 29%

Alpha is a unisex given name.

Rank 2025
#13,298
among girls · ↑2,120 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
77
named Alpha · -4% vs 2024
How common
1 in 267,878
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1917
230 babies
All-time total
10,045
#2,042 all-time among girls
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Alpha popularity over time

10,045 babies have been named Alpha 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
0.10.20.30.418801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
GirlsBoys

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 361 90 451 45 – #301
1890s 704 63 767 77 +70% #319
1900s 828 68 896 90 +17% #333
1910s 1,537 233 1,770 177 +98% #385
1920s 1,494 257 1,751 175 -1% #505
1930s 837 185 1,022 102 -42% #656
1940s 540 125 665 67 -35% #841
1950s 276 121 397 40 -40% #1,411
1960s 150 92 242 24 -39% #2,625
1970s 133 113 246 25 +2% #3,583
1980s 90 88 178 18 -28% #5,555
1990s 95 152 247 25 +39% #3,363
2000s 57 422 479 48 +94% #7,604
2010s 42 472 514 51 +7% #6,717
2020s (to 2025) 44 376 420 70 +36% #9,607

Where Alpha is most popular

Girls named Alpha per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.005 per 1,000.

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 Alpha 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
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
California – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Florida – – –
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 – – –
New York – – –
Ohio – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Pennsylvania – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Tennessee – – –
Texas – – –
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 Alpha

Alpha is rare for girls in the United States, ranked #13,298 in 2025 with 6 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 10,045 American babies have been named Alpha, about 72% girls and 28% boys, making it a genuinely unisex name. Its peak came in 1917, when 230 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1910s.

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

How old are people named Alpha?

The median living Alpha is about 35 years old; half are between 13 and 73. An estimated 3,300 people named Alpha are alive in the United States today.

median 35 020406080100

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

Alpha 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 6 #13,298 71 #2,079
2024 5 #15,418 75 #2,030
2023 8 #11,247 54 #2,480
2022 8 #11,284 61 #2,325
2021 10 #9,607 49 #2,627
2020 7 #12,224 66 #2,113
2019 17 #6,717 67 #2,131
2018 5 #15,822 50 #2,547
2017 – – 52 #2,450
2016 8 #11,841 61 #2,209
2015 – – 43 #2,769
2014 – – 43 #2,757
2013 5 #16,714 41 #2,805
2012 – – 38 #3,006
2011 7 #13,439 33 #3,311
2010 – – 44 #2,732
2009 – – 50 #2,529
2008 – – 50 #2,516
2007 7 #14,018 46 #2,643
2006 6 #15,256 51 #2,404
2005 9 #10,961 41 #2,658
2004 6 #14,275 32 #3,078
2003 6 #13,946 40 #2,546
2002 – – 38 #2,560
2001 10 #9,393 39 #2,489
2000 13 #7,604 35 #2,623
1995 5 #13,492 14 #4,289
1990 7 #10,239 7 #6,430
1985 10 #6,474 8 #4,716
1980 12 #5,555 7 #4,954
1975 11 #5,170 11 #3,254
1970 17 #3,583 7 #3,849
1965 20 #2,744 8 #2,988
1960 17 #2,991 9 #2,875
1955 21 #2,411 8 #2,970
1950 42 #1,411 17 #1,815
1945 43 #1,213 11 #2,133
1940 72 #841 17 #1,681
1935 91 #705 20 #1,540
1930 84 #768 22 #1,559
1925 143 #609 25 #1,495
1920 188 #505 23 #1,592
1915 182 #455 30 #1,181
1910 94 #406 6 #1,427
1905 73 #394 5 #1,237
1900 78 #378 6 #1,169
1895 75 #330 – –
1890 57 #337 8 #739
1885 35 #337 12 #548
1880 26 #310 6 #813

Famous people named Alpha

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

  1. 1 Alpha Condé Alpha Condé President of Guinea from 2010 to 2021 b. 1938 · Contemporary
  2. 2 Alpha Blondy Alpha Blondy Ivorian reggae singer b. 1953 · Contemporary
  3. 3 Alpha Oumar Konaré Alpha Oumar Konaré Malian politician, President from 1992 to 2002 b. 1946 · Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Alpha?

The median living Alpha is about 35 years old. Half of all living Alphas are between 13 and 73 years old.

How many people named Alpha are alive today?

An estimated 3,300 people named Alpha are alive in the United States, based on 10,045 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Alpha mean?

Alpha is a unisex given name.

How popular is the name Alpha in 2025?

Alpha ranked #13,298 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 6 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Alpha?

10,045 babies have been named Alpha in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Alpha most popular?

Alpha peaked in 1917, when 230 newborns received the name.

Is Alpha a boy or girl name?

Alpha is used for both: about 72% of babies named Alpha have been girls and 28% boys.

Is the name Alpha rising or falling?

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

Who are famous people named Alpha?

Well-known people named Alpha include Alpha Condé (politician), Alpha Blondy (singer), Alpha Oumar Konaré (politician).

Names like Alpha

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

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