Boy · #12,230 in 2026

Alem

Alem is a name with a single cultural origin: Bosnian.

  • Bosnian
Current Rank
#12,230
Peak Rank
#5,303 (2006)
Total Babies
231
5-Yr Trend
Stable
1987
First Year
2023
Last Year
2006
Peak Year
#5303
Peak Rank
231
Total Count
25
Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Alem

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Alem is a name with a single cultural origin: Bosnian.

Origin data from Behind the Name .

Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)

  • Bosnian

The Story of Alem

The earliest SSA record of Alem as a baby boy name dates back to 1987, when 6 babies received it. 2006 was its biggest year on record, with 16 newborns named Alem — #5,303 in the national rankings. About 45% of every Alem on record arrived during the 2010s, its defining decade. Alem last appeared in the published SSA data in 2023, with 5 recorded births — it has not charted nationally since. All told, over 231 Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1980s to the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

ME
WA
MT
ND
MN
WI
MI
NY
VT
NH
MA
OR
ID
SD
IA
IL
IN
OH
PA
NJ
CT
RI
CA
NV
WY
NE
MO
KY
WV
VA
MD
DE
DC
UT
CO
KS
AR
TN
NC
SC
AK
AZ
NM
OK
LA
MS
AL
GA
HI
TX
FL
Top 10
11-50
51-100
101-500
500+
No data

Names that sound like Alem

Phonetically similar names — useful when Alem is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Alem

What does the name Alem mean?
Alem is a name with a single cultural origin: Bosnian.
What is the origin of the name Alem?
Alem has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: Bosnian.
How popular is Alem in 2026?
In 2026, Alem ranks #12,230 among boys' names in the U.S., with 5 babies given the name that year.
When was Alem most popular?
Alem reached its peak popularity in 2006, ranking #5,303 that year with 16 babies given the name.
Is Alem a unisex name?
In U.S. Social Security records, Alem is primarily a boy's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a girl's name.
What names go well with Alem?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Alem include Corwyn, Jeret, Daymion. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Alem

Alem is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1987 and has accumulated 231 births in the dataset. Alem's peak popularity came in 2006 when it ranked #5,303. Use the chart and map above to compare Alem's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

Data sources

  • Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
  • Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
  • Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
  • Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
  • Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .

Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.