Alva
Masculine
Alva is given to both — 11,269 boys and 8,889 girls since 1880. See Alva as a girl nameSee other names given to both
Alva is a name from the edges of Genesis — an Edomite chief listed in a genealogy — that nineteenth-century America picked up and gave to a great many sons, including one inventor whose middle name it was.
How old is the name Alva?
Alva was already in use when US birth records began in 1880 — it is at least 145 years old. The typical Alva alive today was born around 1926, making them about 99 years old. About 2,500 people named Alva are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Alva most popular?
Alva peaked in 1882, reaching #161 nationally. Today it ranks #10695, 10,534 places below that high. See the whole 1882 chart.
Where it comes from
From Alvah to Alva
The story of Alva
American Protestant families of the nineteenth century read the Bible closely and took names from every part of it, including the genealogical lists most readers skip. Alvah and Alva appear in those records from early in the century. The name reached a wide public through Thomas Alva Edison, born in 1847 and named in that tradition, and it held a place in the American top two hundred for boys into the early twentieth century.
Meaningscholars disagree
Not established
The Hebrew Alvah appears in Genesis as the name of an Edomite chief, and its meaning is not recovered; suggestions include 'height' and 'injustice', neither established. The name is also read as a form of the Latin albus, 'white', through Spanish and Italian place names, and as a spelling of the Irish Ailbhe. The American use may draw on any of these.
How the name formed
- Alvah
- Alva
Related forms: Alvah · Alba · Ailbhe
Pronouncing Alva
AL-vuh
Two syllables, stress on the first. Said the same way whether given to a son or a daughter, and it was given to both.
Nicknames for Alva
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
- 1917317 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #161reached in 1882
- Change vs 2022
- −40.0%6 in 2025, from 10
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.
Alva in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Alvah in Hebrew — spelling variant
- Alba in Spanish — related form
- Ailbhe in Irish — related form
Alvas among us
people named Alva are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 284,679 born in 2025 was named Alva
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
Alva 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
Alva beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Alva in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- It has a documented biblical source, which is unusual for a name this uncommon.
- Two clean syllables with no pronunciation risk in English.
- Al is available as a completely ordinary short form.
- The meaning of the Hebrew name is genuinely unrecovered.
- It was given to both sexes in American records, so it does not signal sex on paper.
- It is strongly period-coded to the nineteenth century.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Alva to the vote.
Add it to a family vote or a couple’s swipe deck — the other person gets one card, a simple answer and room to say why. No app, no account for them.
Only the people you invite can see your list.
Already decided on Alva? Hide it among decoys and let them guess.
What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Alva
Masculine · #10695 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Alvas are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 2,500 people named Alva are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Alva in 2025?
- Alva ranks #10695 among US boy names in 2025, with 6 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Alva?
- About 1 in every 284,679 US boys born in 2025 was named Alva — 6 in all.
- Will my child share the name Alva with classmates?
- Alva will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Alva
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Dudley#10695 · Dell#10695 · Buford#10695 · Toney#10695 · Allison#10695 · Candido#10695 · Jodie#10695 · Nora#10695
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Alva? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Alva and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
Compare side by sideIn a hurry? Just pick a winner — one tap, no sign-up, and you see how everyone else voted.
Weighing a whole shortlist? Add the rest in the builder, or settle it with a bracket.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
No advertising trackers and no data sellinghow we handle your dataindependent and founder-run, about Name Battle