Alma
Masculine · “Latin almus”
Alma is given to girls far more often — 163,723 girls against 2,219 boys since 1880. See Alma as a girl name
The Alma is a river in the Crimea, and the battle fought there on 20 September 1854 was the first of the war. Britain named streets, pubs and children after it within months, which is how a Russian river became a common English girl's name and, briefly, a boy's.
How old is the name Alma?
Alma was already in use when US birth records began in 1880 — it is at least 145 years old. The typical Alma alive today was born around 1932, making them about 93 years old. About 800 people named Alma are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Alma most popular?
Alma peaked in 1881, reaching #460 nationally. Today it ranks #9714, 9,254 places below that high. See the whole 1881 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
The story of Alma
The Alma was the first engagement of the Crimean War, fought as the allies advanced on Sevastopol, and it was reported in Britain within days by telegraph and by William Howard Russell in The Times, which was itself new. The response was immediate and physical: Alma Road, Alma Street and Alma Terrace appear in dozens of British towns, there are Alma public houses everywhere, and the name was given to children born in the following years on both sides of the Atlantic. Inkerman and Balaclava got the same treatment, though less of it. What makes the case unusual is how quickly it happened; commemorative naming from a battle normally takes a generation, and here the press and the telegraph compressed it into months. The male use faded first and the female use lasted much longer, reinforced by the unrelated Latin and Spanish words.
Meaningscholars disagree
Latin almus, nourishing
Alma has several unconnected sources. Latin almus, alma means nourishing or kindly, and gives alma mater, the nourishing mother. Hebrew almah means a young woman. Spanish and Italian alma means soul, from anima. And the Battle of the Alma in 1854 put the river's name, itself Crimean Tatar for apple, into English use. The American male peak is 1881.
Pronouncing Alma
AL-mah
Two syllables, stress on the first. Spanish and Italian say the same. There is no ambiguity in the sound.
Nicknames for Alma
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1880
- Most boys named
- 191852 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #460reached in 1881
- Change vs 2021
- +16.7%7 in 2025, from 6
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Alma in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Alma in Spanish — related form
- Almah in Hebrew — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: Utah.
Almas among us
people named Alma are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 244,011 born in 2025 was named Alma
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
Fashion outlook
Alma sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Alma beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Alma in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- Four letters and two syllables, easy in several languages.
- Al works as a short form.
- Several attractive meanings are available.
- It is read as a woman's name almost everywhere.
- Four unrelated sources produce the same spelling.
- The 1881 peak places it deep in the nineteenth century.
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Alma
Masculine · #9714 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Almas are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 800 people named Alma are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Alma in 2025?
- Alma ranks #9714 among US boy names in 2025, with 7 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Alma?
- About 1 in every 244,011 US boys born in 2025 was named Alma — 7 in all.
- Will my child share the name Alma with classmates?
- Alma will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Alma
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Vern#9714 · Abrahm#9714 · Sid#9714 · Hartwell#9714 · Kwan#9714 · Adrean#9714 · Chancey#9714 · Bob#9714
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Alma? See the current top 100.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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