Given name & surname · also Old Norse, Spanish
Alvar
“of the army of elves”
Alvar is used as a given name and a surname. One interpretation is “of the army of elves.”
Original SpanishÁlvaro
Meaning & origin
What it means
One interpretation is “of the army of elves.”
Where it comes from
This spelling has been associated with Spanish and Old Norse naming traditions.
How it developed
Alvar developed from Old English Ælfhere. The earlier name combines ælf (“elf, supernatural being”) and here (“army, warrior”).
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1914. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Alvar through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 92
- 92 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1917
- 15 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 6 in 2015. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for boys was 15 in 1917. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 185 as a first name in 2020; 235 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.
Alvar’s family of names
In Swedish usage, Alvar shares a linguistic root with the Catalan form Àlvar. Alvar has a related form in Allvar. Alvar has a related form in Allvaro.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Alvar has relatives in 3 languages. Lines run from its Old Norse 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 10
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Álvarovariant · Spanish
- Allvarovariant
- Alvarsovariant
- Allvarsovariant
- Allvarvariant
- Alvarrvariant
- Alvarevariant
- Alvarievariant
Show 2 moreShow fewer
Spellings & scripts 2
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 6
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Alvar
- Alvar CawénFinnish painter (1886-1935)
- Alvar Thielsailor (1893-1973)
- Alvar HägglundSwedish cross-country skier (1913-1996)
- Alvar PalmgrenFinnish botanist (1880-1960)
- Alvar MyhlbackSwedish cross-country skierborn 2006
- Alvar RantalahtiFinnish cross-country skier (1913-2007)
- Alvar EllegårdSwedish linguist (1919-2008)
- Alvar KraftSwedish musician and composer (1901–1959)
- Alvar GullichsenFinnish painter (born 1961)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Alvar, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Einar
“a leading warrior”
>99% boys
Armand
“of the army; a soldier”
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Alvis
“one who is wise”
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“from the manor grounds”
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Halton
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Hale
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“one who works the earth” · “the keeper of the garden”
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Caldwell
“of the cold well” · “from the cold spring”
>99% boys