Baby Names US
girls' name ★ peaked 1918

Alta

Meaning high Gender Girl Rank 2025 #4,267 Trend → Stable

A female given name from Latin possibly from Latin alta (“high”), fairly common in the United States in the nineteenth century.

Rank 2025
#4,267
among girls · ↑1,703 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
33
named Alta · +65% vs 2024
How common
1 in 48,705
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1918
820 babies
All-time total
29,048
#854 all-time among girls
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Alta popularity over time

29,048 babies have been named Alta 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
0.380.751.131.518801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
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 1,523 5 1,528 153 – #137
1890s 2,796 19 2,815 282 +84% #144
1900s 3,091 5 3,096 310 +10% #164
1910s 6,028 25 6,053 605 +96% #191
1920s 6,198 30 6,228 623 +3% #243
1930s 3,670 33 3,703 370 -41% #294
1940s 2,255 – 2,255 226 -39% #398
1950s 1,280 – 1,280 128 -43% #647
1960s 589 – 589 59 -54% #1,163
1970s 420 – 420 42 -29% #1,720
1980s 289 – 289 29 -31% #2,327
1990s 188 – 188 19 -35% #4,243
2000s 186 – 186 19 -1% #4,799
2010s 244 – 244 24 +31% #4,257
2020s (to 2025) 174 – 174 29 +19% #4,100

Where Alta 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 33 0.02 outside top 500
2027 33 0.02 outside top 500
2028 33 0.02 outside top 500
2029 33 0.02 outside top 500
2030 33 0.02 outside top 500

The story of Alta

Alta is rare for girls in the United States, ranked #4,267 in 2025 with 33 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 29,048 American babies have been named Alta. Its peak came in 1918, when 820 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 Alta stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Alta?

The median living Alta is about 74 years old; half are between 54 and 84. An estimated 5,600 people named Alta are alive in the United States today.

median 74 020406080100

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

Alta 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 33 #4,267 – –
2024 20 #5,970 – –
2023 30 #4,573 – –
2022 31 #4,477 – –
2021 35 #4,100 – –
2020 25 #5,014 – –
2019 30 #4,551 – –
2018 30 #4,566 – –
2017 24 #5,356 – –
2016 34 #4,257 – –
2015 24 #5,472 – –
2014 19 #6,465 – –
2013 30 #4,652 – –
2012 15 #7,824 – –
2011 21 #6,157 – –
2010 17 #7,235 – –
2009 18 #7,080 – –
2008 17 #7,435 – –
2007 19 #6,829 – –
2006 14 #8,267 – –
2005 21 #5,815 – –
2004 15 #7,414 – –
2003 16 #6,904 – –
2002 22 #5,263 – –
2001 20 #5,585 – –
2000 24 #4,799 – –
1995 17 #5,452 – –
1990 22 #4,385 – –
1985 27 #3,250 – –
1980 38 #2,487 – –
1975 44 #1,989 – –
1970 53 #1,720 – –
1965 54 #1,516 – –
1960 88 #1,163 – –
1955 117 #906 – –
1950 175 #647 – –
1945 215 #496 – –
1940 291 #398 – –
1935 376 #325 – –
1930 427 #318 7 #3,299
1925 598 #271 – –
1920 715 #244 – –
1915 721 #222 – –
1910 347 #191 – –
1905 316 #167 – –
1900 337 #164 – –
1895 277 #156 9 #740
1890 234 #151 – –
1885 155 #144 – –
1880 91 #151 – –

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Alta?

The median living Alta is about 74 years old. Half of all living Altas are between 54 and 84 years old.

How many people named Alta are alive today?

An estimated 5,600 people named Alta are alive in the United States, based on 29,048 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Alta mean?

A female given name from Latin possibly from Latin alta (“high”), fairly common in the United States in the nineteenth century.

How popular is the name Alta in 2025?

Alta ranked #4,267 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 33 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Alta?

29,048 babies have been named Alta in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Alta most popular?

Alta peaked in 1918, when 820 newborns received the name.

Is Alta a boy or girl name?

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

Is the name Alta rising or falling?

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

Will Alta become more popular?

Alta looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 33 girls named Alta in 2030, ranking outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Names like Alta

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

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