Meaning & origin
What it means
As a biblical name, Alvah means “rising.”
From biblical name research
Where it comes from
Alvah is a biblical name from Hebrew.
From biblical name research
How it developed
From the Hebrew verb 'ala (עלה), “to rise.”
From biblical name research
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
In the Bible
In the Bible, the name Alvah appears in Genesis 36:40.
From biblical name research
Alvah through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 1,880
- 1,808 boys · 72 girls
- Most popular year
- 1916
- 62 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 2024. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for boys was 55 in 1916. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 568 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
The ring: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 1
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
See also 9
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
- Elishares a root
- Aliahshares a root
- Elyonshares a root
- Alianshares a root
- Ullashares a root
- Alvanshares a root
- Tidalshares a root
- Elulshares a root
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People named Alvah
- Alvah BessieAmerican politician (1904-1985)
- Alvah Meyerathletics competitor (1888–1939)
- Alvah Augustus EatonU.S. botanist (1865–1908)
- Alvah Curtis RoebuckAmerican businessman1864–1948
- Alvah A. ClarkAmerican politician (1840-1912)
- Alvah CrockerAmerican politician (1801-1874)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Alvah, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Arba
“four”
75% boys · 25% girls
Agee
“fugitive”
>99% boys
Beno
“his son”
>99% boys
Gomer
“complete” · “of the good fight”
>99% boys
El
“much debated but ultimately unclear”
87% boys · 13% girls
Deuel
“invocation of God”
>99% boys
Asnah
“thorn bush”
>99% boys
Aphiah
“exhaling” · “blowing”
>99% boys