Given name & surname · also Sanskrit
Alka
“a lock of hair”·“young girl with long curly hair”
Alka is used as a given name and a surname. Interpretations include “a lock of hair” (Sanskrit) and “young girl with long curly hair” (Indian). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Interpretations include “a lock of hair” (Sanskrit) and “young girl with long curly hair” (Indian). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Where it comes from
A possible origin is Sanskrit, although the derivation remains uncertain.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1905. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Alka through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 122
- 0 boys · 122 girls
- Most popular year
- 1923
- 13 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 girls is 5 in 1989. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for girls was 13 in 1923. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 1,712 as a first name in 2020; 177 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.
Alka’s family of names
Alka has a related form in Alkah. In Greek usage, Alka as a surname is a transliteration of Άλκα.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 1
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 3
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Alka
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Alka, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Ura
“loved from the heart” · “resembling the spiny piant”
12% boys · 88% girls
Ila
“of the earth” · “from the island”
>99% girls
Opal
Opal is used as a given name and a surname. One Sanskrit interpretation is “a treasured jewel; resembling the iridescent gemstone.”
>99% girls
Amlika
“a nurturing woman; a mother”
>99% girls
Alpa
“a petite girl”
>99% girls
Aabha
“one who shines”
>99% girls
Abha
“one who shines; a lustrous beauty”
>99% girls
Amba
Amba is a feminine given name from Sanskrit. It is used in English and Sranan Tongo.
>99% girls