Boy · #7,734 in 2026

Alter

Name: Popularity of the name Alter in U.S. births, 1880–2026
Creator: U.S. Social Security Administration
License: https://www.ssa.gov/foia/
Keywords: Alter, baby name, popularity, U.S., SSA, rankings

Alter is both a surname and a given name. German and Jewish (Ashkenazic): distinguishing epithet for the older of two bearers of the same personal name. For the Ashkenazim: from the Yiddish personal name Alter, an inflected form of alt (‘old’).

Yiddish

Current Rank

#7,734

Peak Rank

#4,531 (2012)

Total Babies

393

5-Yr Trend

Stable

1914

First Year

1922

Last Year

1914

Peak Year

#2876

Peak Rank

Total Count

Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Alter

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

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)

Yiddish

The Story of Alter

Alter first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1915, with 5 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 2012, when 21 Alters were born — ranking #4,531 that year. As of 2026, Alter ranks #7,734 for baby boys with 10 births, with steady use. In total, more than 393 Alters have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1910s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

Top 10

11-50

51-100

101-500

500+

No data

Names that sound like Alter

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

Altar
Altare
Alder
Aulder
Elter
Ilter
Falter
Altered
Walter
Faulter
Halter
Alters

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Alter

What does the name Alter mean?

What is the origin of the name Alter?

Alter has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: Yiddish.

How popular is Alter in 2026?

In 2026, Alter ranks #7,734 among boys' names in the U.S., with 10 babies given the name that year.

When was Alter most popular?

Alter reached its peak popularity in 2012, ranking #4,531 that year with 21 babies given the name.

In which U.S. states is Alter most popular?

Alter has historically been most popular in New York, New Jersey. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Alter.

Is Alter a unisex name?

In U.S. Social Security records, Alter is primarily a boy's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a girl's name.

What names go well with Alter?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Alter include Chetan, Dacian, Jiaire. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Alter

Alter is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1915 and has accumulated 393 births in the dataset. Alter's peak popularity came in 2012 when it ranked #4,531. Use the chart and map above to compare Alter'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.