Baby Names US
girls' name ★ peaked 1956

Althea

Gender Girl Rank 2025 #1,299 Trend → Stable

From Althaia or Althaea of Greek mythology, from Ancient Greek Ἀλθαία (Althaía).

Rank 2025
#1,299
among girls · ↑99 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
171
named Althea · +7% vs 2024
How common
1 in 9,399
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1956
388 babies
All-time total
17,985
#1,142 all-time among girls
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Althea popularity over time

17,985 babies have been named Althea 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
0.080.150.230.318801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
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 156 – 156 16 – #441
1890s 323 – 323 32 +107% #395
1900s 496 – 496 50 +54% #426
1910s 2,014 – 2,014 201 +306% #363
1920s 2,591 5 2,596 260 +29% #356
1930s 1,472 – 1,472 147 -43% #501
1940s 1,275 – 1,275 128 -13% #545
1950s 3,015 – 3,015 302 +136% #455
1960s 1,791 – 1,791 179 -41% #659
1970s 1,002 – 1,002 100 -44% #884
1980s 592 – 592 59 -41% #1,396
1990s 492 – 492 49 -17% #2,290
2000s 627 – 627 63 +27% #2,280
2010s 1,160 – 1,160 116 +85% #1,355
2020s (to 2025) 974 – 974 162 +40% #1,299

Where Althea 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 173 0.11 outside top 500
2027 175 0.11 outside top 500
2028 176 0.11 outside top 500
2029 177 0.11 outside top 500
2030 179 0.11 outside top 500

Where Althea is most popular

Girls named Althea per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.101 per 1,000. Strongest in Maine, Colorado, and Oregon.

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 Althea 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
Maine 7 0.453 +349%
Colorado 29 0.260 +158%
Oregon 15 0.230 +128%
Pennsylvania 47 0.199 +97%
Washington 27 0.187 +85%
New York 69 0.174 +73%
Ohio 38 0.160 +59%
Massachusetts 18 0.149 +48%
Illinois 28 0.122 +21%
Indiana 17 0.121 +20%
Michigan 19 0.104 ≈ national
California 80 0.095 -6%
Tennessee 15 0.095 -6%
North Carolina 21 0.092 -9%
Missouri 11 0.091 -9%
Florida 32 0.075 -26%
Wisconsin 7 0.068 -33%
Kentucky 5 0.058 -42%
Minnesota 6 0.056 -45%
Texas 27 0.034 -67%
Virginia 5 0.029 -71%
New Jersey 5 0.028 -73%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Georgia – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Kansas – – –
Louisiana – – –
Maryland – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Utah – – –
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 Althea

Althea is uncommon for girls in the United States, ranked #1,299 in 2025 with 171 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 17,985 American babies have been named Althea. Its peak came in 1956, when 388 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1950s.

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

How old are people named Althea?

The median living Althea is about 57 years old; half are between 22 and 70. An estimated 10 thousand people named Althea are alive in the United States today.

median 57 020406080100

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

Althea 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 171 #1,299 – –
2024 160 #1,398 – –
2023 167 #1,348 – –
2022 175 #1,343 – –
2021 145 #1,476 – –
2020 156 #1,399 – –
2019 167 #1,355 – –
2018 162 #1,386 – –
2017 154 #1,460 – –
2016 128 #1,668 – –
2015 130 #1,644 – –
2014 92 #2,098 – –
2013 101 #1,955 – –
2012 73 #2,497 – –
2011 72 #2,511 – –
2010 81 #2,342 – –
2009 75 #2,511 – –
2008 59 #2,959 – –
2007 57 #3,051 – –
2006 57 #2,979 – –
2005 68 #2,527 – –
2004 66 #2,526 – –
2003 69 #2,394 – –
2002 55 #2,745 – –
2001 53 #2,767 – –
2000 68 #2,280 – –
1995 40 #2,934 – –
1990 55 #2,290 – –
1985 44 #2,283 – –
1980 69 #1,658 – –
1975 76 #1,381 – –
1970 150 #884 – –
1965 213 #674 – –
1960 216 #692 – –
1955 248 #580 – –
1950 309 #462 – –
1945 110 #713 – –
1940 101 #693 – –
1935 141 #540 – –
1930 175 #506 – –
1925 258 #428 – –
1920 336 #356 – –
1915 266 #368 – –
1910 91 #412 – –
1905 46 #497 – –
1900 35 #590 – –
1895 32 #520 – –
1890 19 #600 – –
1885 14 #576 – –
1880 9 #581 – –

Famous people named Althea

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

  1. 1 Althea Gibson Althea Gibson American tennis player (1927–2003) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Althea?

The median living Althea is about 57 years old. Half of all living Altheas are between 22 and 70 years old.

How many people named Althea are alive today?

An estimated 10 thousand people named Althea are alive in the United States, based on 17,985 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Althea mean?

From Althaia or Althaea of Greek mythology, from Ancient Greek Ἀλθαία (Althaía).

How popular is the name Althea in 2025?

Althea ranked #1,299 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 171 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Althea?

17,985 babies have been named Althea in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Althea most popular?

Althea peaked in 1956, when 388 newborns received the name.

Is Althea a boy or girl name?

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

Is the name Althea rising or falling?

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

Will Althea become more popular?

Althea looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 179 girls named Althea in 2030, ranking outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Althea?

Well-known people named Althea include Althea Gibson (tennis player).

Names like Althea

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

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