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Alma Name Meaning, Origins & History

Alma

Pronunciation: AL-muh

Meaning Giving nuture, motherly Origin Latin Gender Girl
GIRLS RANK
#449
TREND
23
BOYS RANK
#9,766
TREND
2,011
Peak Years
1918, 1921, 1920
Lowest Years
1880, 1881, 2011
Energy Archetype
Powerful & Complete

Rank shows the name’s position among U.S. baby names for each gender in 2025. Trend shows how many places it rose or fell since 2024. Rank 1 is the most popular. Based on U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA) data. Peak and lowest years are based on the number of girls named Alma in the available records.

Fun Facts About the Name Alma

  • An established favorite: Alma held a place in the U.S. top 100 for 48 consecutive years, from 1880 through 1927.
  • More than 165 thousand babies named Alma: U.S. records list 165,924 babies given the name Alma from 1880 through 2025. Even 2,219 boys received the name Alma - about 1 boy for every 74 girls.

What Does the Name Alma Mean?

Alma has three well-established derivations. In Latin, alma is the feminine form of almus, meaning nourishing, kind, or fostering, from the verb alere, to nourish. It appears in phrases such as alma mater, literally a nourishing mother. In Spanish, alma means soul, a development from Latin anima; Italian poetry also uses alma with that sense. In Hebrew, almah (עַלְמָה) means young woman or maiden, and the modern Hebrew name Alma is usually understood from that word. The Latin and Spanish meanings are literal word meanings, while maiden is the customary sense of the Hebrew term. The similar forms do not prove a shared origin.

Alma Name History & Origins

In classical Latin, alma was an adjective used of nurturing or kindly forces, as in Alma Venus and Alma Ceres. Christian Latin kept it in the hymn Alma Redemptoris Mater, and universities adopted Alma Mater as a title. This religious and academic use made the word familiar in Europe, and it is one possible source of the given name.

In Spanish, alma meaning soul has been used as a female given name in Spain and Latin America. In Hungarian, alma is the ordinary word for apple, and Alma is a separate female given name in Hungarian. In Hebrew, almah appears in the Hebrew Bible in passages such as Isaiah 7:14; the Septuagint rendered it parthenos (virgin), a translation that became important in Christian tradition. Alma is now used as a modern Hebrew female name.

In English, Alma is found as a given name in the 19th century. The Crimean War battle at the Alma River in 1854 made the place name widely known in Britain and the United States; the river name is often connected with a Turkic word for apple. Notable bearers include the Austrian composer Alma Mahler (1879 - 1964), the American painter Alma Thomas (1891 - 1978), and the screenwriter Alma Reville (1899 - 1982). Its use in English is not tied to a single event or work.

How Popular is the Name Alma?

Alma remained among the top 100 girl names in the U.S. from 1880 to 1927. Its highest annual birth count was in 1918, and people born that year turn 108 in 2026.

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.

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.

Explore Name Lists Featuring Alma

Carl appears in several baby name collections based on U.S. popularity records, naming trends, and name characteristics. Explore these lists to discover other names with similar histories, styles, or features.

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How the Name Alma 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 desire to inspire and lead, to control other's affairs. You are giving, courageous and bold, action oriented,energetic and strong willed. You want to make a difference in the world, and this attitude often attracts you to cultural interests, politics, social issues, and the cultivation of your creative talents.

✦ Alma's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Alma's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.
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