Alba

What Alba means

Means “dawn”

A female given name from Spanish alba (“dawn”), of modern usage.

Source: Wiktionary, “Alba” (revision 93773607), CC BY-SA 4.0. Quoted from the etymology; we don’t write our own.

How popular is Alba?

US: Rising: up from #1454 in 2015. England & Wales: Rising: up from #273 in 2015.

Biggest US share so far: 2024, when 205 girls got the name (#1169 that year). First in the US records in 1880.

How common

• About 1 in 9,081 baby girls in the US in 2025
• About 1 in 537 baby girls in England and Wales in 2025
• About 1 in 275 baby girls in Scotland in 2025

“1 in N” divides by all listed births for that sex. The US list leaves out names given to fewer than 5 babies, and the UK lists leave out names given to 2 or fewer, so the real figure is a little rarer than shown.

Where in the US

Most popular in AZ (0.21 per 1,000 girls), CO (0.21 per 1,000 girls), FL (0.21 per 1,000 girls) in 2025.

SSA state data, 2025. Share of all listed girls born in each state.

US vs UK

Alba is #1261 in the US and #95 in England & Wales (2025).

Same sex as this page (girls). SSA (US), ONS (England and Wales), NRS (Scotland).

Boy or girl?

In 2025, 99.9+% of US babies named Alba were girls.

Counts below the publishing threshold (US 5, UK 3) are not included.

How to say it

IPA from Wiktionary.

Other spellings parents chose in 2025

• Elba8 US · 5 E&W

Names that sound the same and differ by a letter or two, with baby counts for the same sex. US and E&W counts.

If you like Alba

Girls

• Ramona#733Editor’s note Peaked in the US in 1928, with 2,239 babies; 373 in 2025
• Catalina#111Editor’s note Climbing fast in the US: #325 in 2015, #111 in 2025
• Gemma#170“jewel”^*
• Elena#42Editor’s note Climbing fast in the US: #106 in 2015, #42 in 2025. 5 letters, starting with a vowel
• Jemma#862Variant of Gemma, meaning “jewel”^*
• Alessia#326Editor’s note First shows up in US records in 1967, with 9 babies

For a brother

• Vincenzo#674Italian form of Vincent, meaning “conquering”^*
• Enzo#72“home + ruler”^*
• Luca#14Form of Lucy, meaning “light”^*
• Mateo#8Same root as Matthew, meaning “gift of the Lord”^*
• Franco#746Editor’s note Up from #873 in 2015 to #746 in 2025 in the US
• Leonardo#91Italian, from Old French Leonard, meaning “as strong as a lion”^*

Picked from the US top 1,000 in 2025: names Wiktionary also files under Spanish & Italian, whose US popularity since 1990 rose and fell most like Alba’s. Rank is US 2025.