Holding steady.
Popularity of Alfa since 1893
Babies named Alfa per year in U.S. Social Security records. Raw births topped out in 1922, but relative to how few babies were recorded back then, Alfa's real moment was 1897.
Data table (by decade)
| Decade | Girls | Boys |
|---|---|---|
| 1890s | 16 | 0 |
| 1900s | 5 | 0 |
| 1910s | 62 | 0 |
| 1920s | 33 | 0 |
| 1930s | 45 | 0 |
| 1940s | 20 | 0 |
| 1950s | 6 | 0 |
| 1960s | 0 | 0 |
| 1970s | 0 | 0 |
| 1980s | 0 | 0 |
| 1990s | 26 | 0 |
| 2000s | 16 | 5 |
| 2010s | 5 | 6 |
| 2020s | 0 | 19 |
Meaning & origin
Alfa is a rare given name in the United States, first recorded in 1893. It saw its peak usage in 1897, but has never ranked among the top thousand names. The name's trajectory has been stable, with very occasional use in the decades since. While its exact origin is uncertain, Alfa is likely a respelling of Alpha, from the Greek letter. As a modern coinage, it carries a symbolic association with primacy and beginnings. In recent years, it has not appeared in Social Security data, suggesting it remains an extremely uncommon choice.
Alfa is a modern spelling variant of Alpha, the first letter of the Greek alphabet. In Greek, alpha (ἄλφα) derives from the Phoenician aleph, meaning 'ox.' As a given name, Alfa was adopted in the late 19th century, possibly as a virtue name symbolizing primacy. Its use has been sporadic and remains rare.
“Alfa” around the world
Where Alfa lands in the latest official birth statistics abroad, matched to the U.S. spelling.
France
5
babies in 2024
Sources: INSEE (France).
Nicknames & variants
Variants: Alpha
Sibling names for Alfa
Names that share Alfa's style, for a brother or sister.
