Given name & surname · also Germanic

Alba

“from the highlands”

Alba is used as a given name and a surname. One Latin interpretation is “from the highlands.”

Meaning & origin

What it means

One Latin interpretation is “from the highlands.”

Where it comes from

This spelling has been associated with Latin and Germanic naming traditions.

How it developed

From Spanish Alba.

Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)

The story

Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.

From dated birth records

Alba through the years

Babies since 1880
7,579
108 boys · 7,471 girls
Most popular year
2024
205 babies
2025
177
#1,261 for girls
2021–25 vs 2016–20
+28%
Rising
Boys Girls
05010015018801900192019401960198020002025Highest share 2024Boys 0.0Girls 110
Alba in U.S. Social Security birth records, 1880–2025, per million births of each sex. Years with fewer than five births for a sex are not published and appear as zero. Use the arrow keys to step through years.

Where it’s given

Most at home inColorado, Florida, Arizona
FewerMore, relative to births Not published
2025 births by state of birth. Tiles are equal-sized so small states stay visible. Highest rates: Colorado (5), Florida (18), Arizona (6), Massachusetts (5), California (33).

By the numbers

In 2025, this name appeared in 177 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 1,261 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 27.6% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (33). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 21,789 as a first name in 2020; 13,218 as a surname in 2020.

From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.

Alba’s family of names

Alba has a related form in Albina. In Latin usage, Alba has a conventional equivalent in the Czech form Blanka. Alba has a related form in Alby.

Walk Alba’s family in the name graph

AlbaΆλμπαAlbàAlbinaAlbyAlbiaAlbahAllbahAllbaElbaBlankaAlbanaHajnalka

Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.

Hover or tab through the constellation to see how each name is related. Bigger dots are names more people in the U.S. share.

Around the world

Alba has relatives in 3 languages. Lines run from its Latin roots to each of them.

CzechLatin

4 related names in 3 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.

Each dot marks where a language is rooted, not where people with the name live today. Bigger dots hold more names. Language locations from Glottolog (CC BY 4.0); map from Natural Earth.

Nicknames & forms 6

Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.

Spellings & scripts 2

The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.

Across languages 5

Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.

See also 2

Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.

Similar names

If you love Alba, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.

Hebrew · Nature

Azalea

“of the dry earth; resembling the flower” · “one who is spared by God”

66FamiliarRising fast

>99% girls

Latin · Modern

Raia

“smilax” · “ray”

27RareRising fast

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Germanic · Literary

Matilda

“one who is mighty in battle”

63FamiliarRising

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Maori · Mythological

Maia

Maia is a feminine given name from Ancient Greek. It is used in English, French, Portuguese, Estonian, and 1 other language.

61FamiliarRising

>99% girls

Latin

Aurelia

“golden-haired woman”

66FamiliarRising fast

>99% girls

Latin · Modern

Halo

“having a blessed aura”

62FamiliarRising fast

20% boys · 80% girls

Latin · Modern

Yrsa

“she-bear”

11Very rare

>99% girls

Late Latin

Francesca

“frenchman” · “woman from France; one who is free”

65FamiliarRising

>99% girls

Sibling ideas

Names that share Alba’s feel without repeating its first letter or rhyming with it.

A brother for Alba

A sister for Alba