NameRealm
Alva

Alva: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning
“white; or elf”
Origin
Irish
Say it
AL-vuh · 2 syllables
Used for
Both (44% girls, 56% boys since 1880)

This spelling has more than one source: it can represent an anglicized Irish name meaning 'white', and it is also used in Scandinavia as a feminine name from Old Norse alfr 'elf'. Origin depends on family tradition.

Irish namesEnglish namesScandinavian namesNames meaning pureClassic namesInternational names

How popular is Alva?

202411.7 per million US babies
1880192019602000
Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Babies named Alva in 202439

2024 rank#4,457 girls

Peak year1882

Total US babies since 188020,130

Alva is rising: use over the last five years is 2.4× what it was a decade earlier.

Names like Alva

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

  • Rileyvaliant · Irish
  • Rowanlittle red-haired one · Irish
  • Quinndescendant of Conn · Irish
  • Roryred king · Irish
  • Lennonlover · Irish
  • Caseyvigilant · Irish
  • Murphysea warrior · Irish
  • Rowenlittle red one · Irish

Alva questions

What does the name Alva mean?

Alva means "white; or elf". It comes from Irish. This spelling has more than one source: it can represent an anglicized Irish name meaning 'white', and it is also used in Scandinavia as a feminine name from Old Norse alfr 'elf'. Origin depends on family tradition.

Is Alva a boy or girl name?

Alva is used for both: about 44% of US babies named Alva since 1880 were girls.

How popular is Alva?

39 US babies were named Alva in 2024. Its peak year was 1882.

How do you pronounce Alva?

Alva is usually pronounced AL-vuh.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.