Fun Facts About the Name Ala
- 942 babies named Ala: U.S. records list 942 babies given the name Ala from 1880 through 2025. Even 142 boys received the name Ala - about 1 boy for every 6 girls.
What Does the Name Ala Mean?
Ala comes from two unrelated sources that happen to be spelled the same way. In Arabic, ʿAlāʾ (علاء) is a masculine name meaning "excellence," "elevation," or "sublimity." It comes from the root ʿ-l-w, which has the sense of being high or rising. The same element appears in the longer name ʿAlāʾ al-Dīn, "excellence of the faith," and in the common word ʿālī, "high, exalted." The Arabic name begins with the consonant ʿayn, a sound made deep in the throat that has no English equivalent, which is why the spelling is often simplified to Ala.
In Polish, Ala is a feminine pet form of Alicja, the Polish form of Alice, and also of Aleksandra. It is used both as a familiar short form and as a given name in its own right. Because it is a short form, it has no separate etymology of its own; its meaning is that of the full names it shortens. The Arabic and Polish names are not related to each other, and Turkish ala, a word meaning "spotted" or "variegated," is likewise a separate form.
Ala Name History & Origins
Arabic ʿAlāʾ belongs to a broad group of personal names built on the root ʿ-l-w, which also yields the name Ali. It was in use as a personal name in the medieval Arabic-speaking world and remains common in the Middle East and North Africa and among Muslim communities elsewhere. The compound ʿAlāʾ al-Dīn was borne by historical rulers, among them the Khwarazmian shah ʿAlāʾ al-Dīn Muhammad II, who died in 1220. Through the Western rendering of that compound as Aladdin, the name entered European languages by way of the Aladdin story in the Thousand and One Nights. That literary connection is separate from the earlier documented use of ʿAlāʾ as a name in Arabic.
Polish Ala grew out of the Polish habit of forming affectionate one- and two-syllable short forms from longer given names. As a shortening of Alicja and Aleksandra, it appears in Polish usage alongside the full forms and other pet forms of the same names. Use of Ala as a standalone given name rather than only as a nickname is a later development within that tradition, and the name is now encountered in Poland and in Polish communities abroad.
How Popular is the Name Ala?
Ala has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2017. Its best rank was #1,281 in 1889.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #5,732 | 21 | 0.0013% |
| 2024 | #8,430 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2023 | #7,648 | 14 | 0.0009% |
| 2022 | #7,636 | 14 | 0.0009% |
| 2021 | #6,179 | 19 | 0.0012% |
| 2020 | #6,938 | 16 | 0.0010% |
| 2019 | #5,990 | 20 | 0.0012% |
| 2018 | #8,172 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 2017 | #5,348 | 24 | 0.0014% |
| 2016 | #8,005 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 2015 | #5,839 | 22 | 0.0012% |
| 2014 | #7,000 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 2013 | #7,758 | 15 | 0.0009% |
| 2012 | #8,649 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2011 | #11,219 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2010 | #10,473 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2009 | #8,909 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2008 | #10,837 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2007 | #10,148 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2006 | #12,461 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2005 | #9,479 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2004 | #9,912 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2003 | #9,696 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2002 | #10,280 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2001 | #11,058 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2000 | #8,042 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1999 | #7,736 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1998 | #8,024 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1997 | #9,047 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1996 | #5,774 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 1995 | #10,545 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1994 | #10,599 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1993 | #5,960 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1992 | #4,849 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 1991 | #5,407 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 1990 | #5,553 | 16 | 0.0008% |
| 1989 | #4,855 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 1988 | #5,603 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 1987 | #7,364 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1985 | #8,336 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1984 | #6,822 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1983 | #9,031 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1979 | #9,030 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1975 | #9,082 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1971 | #8,342 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1959 | #6,250 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1951 | #5,418 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1950 | #4,322 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1949 | #4,239 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1938 | #4,349 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1936 | #3,380 | 7 | 0.0007% |
| 1935 | #3,745 | 6 | 0.0006% |
| 1932 | #3,905 | 6 | 0.0006% |
| 1929 | #4,576 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1928 | #3,439 | 8 | 0.0007% |
| 1927 | #3,287 | 9 | 0.0008% |
| 1926 | #4,311 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1925 | #4,431 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1924 | #4,438 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1923 | #2,919 | 11 | 0.0009% |
| 1922 | #3,381 | 9 | 0.0007% |
| 1921 | #3,166 | 10 | 0.0008% |
| 1920 | #4,406 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1919 | #3,007 | 10 | 0.0009% |
| 1918 | #2,289 | 15 | 0.0013% |
| 1917 | #1,997 | 17 | 0.0016% |
| 1916 | #3,036 | 9 | 0.0009% |
| 1915 | #2,904 | 9 | 0.0009% |
| 1914 | #2,882 | 7 | 0.0009% |
| 1913 | #2,333 | 8 | 0.0013% |
| 1912 | #2,639 | 6 | 0.0011% |
| 1911 | #2,470 | 5 | 0.0012% |
| 1910 | #1,774 | 8 | 0.0020% |
| 1908 | #1,677 | 7 | 0.0021% |
| 1907 | #1,825 | 6 | 0.0019% |
| 1889 | #1,281 | 5 | 0.0028% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | #12,351 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2007 | #10,972 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2004 | #8,955 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1999 | #9,955 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1998 | #8,497 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1997 | #6,629 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1996 | #7,155 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1995 | #8,905 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1994 | #5,880 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1993 | #6,834 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1992 | #6,682 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1991 | #7,294 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1989 | #5,631 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1987 | #6,975 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1986 | #4,137 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1985 | #4,340 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1984 | #6,336 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1983 | #6,260 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1981 | #6,286 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1980 | #5,541 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1979 | #5,368 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1958 | #3,954 | 5 | 0.0002% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Ala Shapes Your Personality and Life?
Powerful and complete. You are good intellectually and require several outlets for your energies. You are not a builder but a planner, and you want others to carry out your plans. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
You are seeking freedom, opportunities to enjoy life: to make love, to go places and to do things. You are very adventurous and willing to take risk to achieve your objectives. New ways and new experiences can't satisfy your restless nature. One adventure leads you to another. You are honest and fair, because you know that this is the only way to receive justice and honesty from other people. But your personal growth is vital for you, and it is difficult to be tied down by rules and obligations. Your restless spirit might best controlled by choosing the field of work that meet your demand for action and adventure.
✦ Ala's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Ala's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.