Given name & surname · also Old English
Alger
“one who is noble; an elf spear”
Alger is used as a given name and a surname. One English interpretation is “one who is noble; an elf spear.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One English interpretation is “one who is noble; an elf spear.”
Where it comes from
A possible origin is Old English, although the derivation remains uncertain.
How it developed
One proposed formation combines ælf (“elf, supernatural being”) and gār (“spear”).
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1886. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Alger through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 832
- 832 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1919
- 30 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for boys is 5 in 2008. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for boys was 30 in 1919. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 371 as a first name in 2020; 5,968 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.
Alger’s family of names
Alger is a short form of Algernon. In English usage, Alger shares a linguistic root with the Old High German form Adalger. In English usage, Alger has a related form in Elgar.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Alger has relatives in 4 languages. Lines run from its Old English roots to each of them.
8 related names in 4 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 18
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 2
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
Similar names
If you love Alger, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Elmer
“a renowned and noble man”
>99% boys
Gardner
“one who works the earth” · “the keeper of the garden”
97% boys · 3% girls
Halton
“from the manor on the hill”
>99% boys
Homer
“a tomboyish woman” · “of the pledge; an epic poet”
>99% boys
Sumner
“a legal official; one who serves summons”
82% boys · 18% girls
Caldwell
“of the cold well” · “from the cold spring”
>99% boys
Halstead
“from the manor grounds”
>99% boys
Parley
“one who negotiates” · “a reluctant man”
93% boys · 7% girls