Alpha
The first letter of the Greek alphabet, borrowed from the Phoenician aleph, meaning ox. It has been used as a given name in English, sometimes for a first child.
Alpha in 2025
Alpha was given to 77 babies in the United States in 2025 — 71 boys and 6 girls, making it the 4,229th most popular name of the year. That is roughly one in every 43,056 babies born.
The history of Alpha
Alpha reached its highest point in 1917, when 230 babies were given the name, ranking 787th that year. Its best-ever ranking was 463rd, in 1899.
Across the 146 years of records since 1880, 10,045 babies have been named Alpha. Half of them were born before 1925, which places the name's centre of gravity with the Greatest Generation.
Alpha has switched sex over its history: it went mostly to girls in its early decades, and goes mostly to boys today.
Alpha by decade
| Decade | Babies named Alpha | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 451 | 501 |
| 1890s | 767 | 463 |
| 1900s | 896 | 492 |
| 1910s | 1,770 | 609 |
| 1920s | 1,751 | 863 |
| 1930s | 1,022 | 1,077 |
| 1940s | 665 | 1,326 |
| 1950s | 397 | 2,019 |
| 1960s | 242 | 3,249 |
| 1970s | 246 | 4,132 |
| 1980s | 178 | 5,235 |
| 1990s | 247 | 4,277 |
| 2000s | 479 | 4,926 |
| 2010s | 514 | 3,915 |
| 2020s | 420 | 4,143 |
Where Alpha is heading
Alpha has risen 79% over the past decade, from 43 babies in 2015 to 77 in 2025.
Names like Alpha
Names that rose and fell at the same time as Alpha.