ESC Name Rank Total Searching... No names found Try searching for: Emma, Liam, Olivia, Noah... 👦As Boy Name 1880 First Year 2024 Last Year 1917 Peak Year #294 Peak Rank 11K Total Count 140 Years Active 👧As Girl Name 1880 First Year 2026 Last Year 1918 Peak Year #334 Peak Rank 9K Total Count 147 Years Active 🌍 ## Meaning & Origin of Alva What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures. Alva is a unisex given name. It is used in Sweden and Norway as a feminine form of the name Alf, meaning "elf." It is also a spelling variant of the Biblical masculine name Alvah, meaning "his highness." Alva is a currently popular name in Sweden, where it was ranked among the ten most popular names given to newborn girls in 2012\. Notable people with the name include: Source: [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alva%5F%28given%5Fname%29) (CC BY-SA 3.0). [Read more → ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alva%5F%28given%5Fname%29) ### Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name) * Swedish * Norwegian * Danish * English 📖 ## The Story of Alva ### As a girl name American parents first put Alva on the record books as a girl name in 1880, with 17 registered babies. Its peak popularity came in 1918, when 196 Alvas were born — ranking #483 that year. In the latest 2026 data it stands at #5,103 among girl names with 25 births, gradually falling (-10%). In total, more than 9K Alvas have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s. ### As a boy name The earliest SSA record of Alva as a boy name dates back to 1880, when 70 babies received it. 1917 was its biggest year on record, with 317 newborns named Alva — #294 in the national rankings. The 1920s were its strongest decade, accounting for roughly 23% of all recorded Alvas. Its most recent appearance in the national data came in 2024 (8 births); the name has since faded from the published rankings. In total, more than 11K Alvas have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s. ## Popularity Over Time Girls Boys ## Popularity by State 👧 Girls 👦 Boys 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 🔗 ## Variants & Related Forms of Alva Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Alva. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name. * [Elva](/elva) 🎶 ## Names that sound like Alva Phonetically similar names — useful when Alva is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name. * [Alvey](/alvey) * [Alvah](/alvah) * [Elva](/elva) * [Ulva](/ulva) * [Ilva](/ilva) * [Ylva](/ylva) * [Allia](/allia) * [Allea](/allea) * [Alpha](/alpha) * [Alfa](/alfa) * [Alve](/alve) * [Alah](/alah) Source: [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated. ❓ ## Frequently Asked Questions about Alva What does the name Alva mean? Alva is a unisex given name. It is used in Sweden and Norway as a feminine form of the name Alf, meaning "elf." It is also a spelling variant of the Biblical masculine name Alvah, meaning "his highness." Alva is a currently popular name in Sweden, where it was ranked among the ten most popular names given to newborn girls in 2012\. Notable people with the name include: What is the origin of the name Alva? Alva has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, English. How popular is Alva in 2026? In 2026, Alva ranks #8,947 among boys' names in the U.S., with 8 babies given the name that year. When was Alva most popular? Alva reached its peak popularity in 1917, ranking #294 that year with 317 babies given the name. In which U.S. states is Alva most popular? Alva has historically been most popular in Oklahoma, Missouri, West Virginia. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Alva. Is Alva a unisex name? Yes — Alva is used for both girls and boys in U.S. records, with about 44% of Alvas assigned female and 56% assigned male historically. What names go well with Alva? Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Alva include Napoleon, Delmar, Alfonso. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data. What are nicknames or variants of Alva? Common variants and related forms of Alva include Elva. These cover foreign-language equivalents, alternate spellings, and short forms. ## Similar Names ### 👦 Similar Boy Names [👦NapoleonPeak #294](/napoleon)[👦DelmarPeak #294](/delmar)[👦AlfonsoPeak #294](/alfonso)[👦SonnyPeak #294](/sonny) ### 👧 Similar Girl Names [👧MargaritaPeak #334](/margarita)[👧AzaleaPeak #334](/azalea)[👧MandiPeak #334](/mandi)[👧MarelyPeak #334](/marely) ## About the name Alva Alva is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 11K births in the dataset. Alva's peak popularity came in 1917 when it ranked #294\. Use the chart and map above to compare Alva's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices. ### Continue exploring * [ Top names of 1917 → ](/year/1917) * [ Names of the 1910s → ](/decade/1910s) * [ Names starting with "A" → ](/letter/a) * [ Browse all boy names → ](/names/boys) * [ Top names of 2026 → ](/year/2026) * [ Browse unisex names → ](/names/unisex) Data sources * Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. [Social Security Administration ](https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/). 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 ](https://www.behindthename.com/) (used under their public API terms). * Meaning prose and editorial summary — [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/) article extracts, licensed under [CC BY-SA 3.0 ](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/). * Predicted nationality distribution — [Nationalize.io ](https://nationalize.io/). * Phonetically similar names — [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). 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.