Alma
Girl nameAlma has been given to 165,942 babies in the U.S. since 1880. It peaked in 1918 and currently ranks #449 for girls (2025).
Meaning & origin
Usually explained as Latin alma (“nourishing, kind”). It has also been used as a short form of Germanic compound names beginning with the element Amal-, as in Amelia.
Origin: Latin
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Popularity over time births per year, 1880–2025
Total babies
165,942
Peak year
1918 (3,702 babies)
Rank in 2025
#449 for girls
First recorded
1880
10-year trend
▲ +63%
Gender split
99% girls / 1% boys
Famous people named Alma
Alma Mahler
Austrian composer, art collector, author, editor, and socialite (1879-1964)
Alma Deutscher
British composer, pianist and violinist
Alma Karlin
Slovenian academic and poet (1889–1950)
Alma Reville
English film editor and screenwriter (1899–1982)
Notability data from Wikidata (CC0).
Names with a similar vibe
Same primary gender, peaked around the same years, and roughly as common as Alma.
Get new name insights first
Occasional updates when we add new data & tools. No spam, unsubscribe anytime by replying to any email or writing to hello@zalize.com.
By subscribing you agree to our privacy policy. We store only your email address and the date you signed up.