Given name & surname · also Gaelic, Latin
Alva
“one who has a fair complexion”·“a bright man”
Alva is used as a given name and a surname. Interpretations include “one who has a fair complexion” (Latin) and “a bright man” (Hebrew). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Interpretations include “one who has a fair complexion” (Latin) and “a bright man” (Hebrew). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Where it comes from
This spelling has been associated with Latin and Hebrew naming traditions. The precise derivation is uncertain.
How it developed
In Swedish usage, Alva is a feminine form of Alf.
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
Alva through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 20,158
- 11,269 boys · 8,889 girls
- Most popular year
- 1917
- 478 babies
- 2025
- 28
- #5,567 for girls · #10,762 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −12%
- Easing
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 24% boys.
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 22 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 5,567 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 9.4% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 196 in 1918. It also appeared in 6 birth records for boys in 2025. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 7,273 as a first name in 2020; 5,823 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.
Alva’s family of names
In Latvian usage, Alva has a masculine form in Alvis. Alva has a related form in Alvah. In Swedish usage, Alva is a feminine form of Alf.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Alva has relatives in 3 languages. Lines run from its Hebrew roots to each of them.
3 related names in 3 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
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 9
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- Elvaequivalent
- Alvismasculine form · Latvian
- Alfaequivalent
- Pixieequivalent
- Elfaequivalent
- Alfmasculine form · Swedish
- Alwaequivalent
- Alvardequivalent
Show 1 moreShow fewer
See also 2
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Alva
- Alva MyrdalSwedish sociologist and politician (1902-1986)
- Alva BelmontAmerican suffragette and socialite (1853–1933)
- Alva ColquhounAustralian swimmer1942–2025
- Alva M. LumpkinAmerican politician (1886–1941)
- Alva B. AdamsAmerican politician (1875–1941)
- Alva AdamsAmerican politician (1850-1922)
- Alva J. FisherAmerican engineer and inventor (1862-1947)
- Alva BrattSwedish actressborn 1998
- Alva C. EllisorAmerican geologist and stratigrapher (1892-1964)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Alva, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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