Alaina
A feminine name of Scottish origin meaning "Echo", "Rock", or "Handsome".
Name Census estimates that about 48,200 living Americans carry the first name Alaina. It sits at #212 in the overall ranking, outside the top 50 but still well-represented. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Alaina today is around 19 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Alaina births was 2011 (1,998 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Alaina. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
48K
~ 1 in 7,111 Americans
Peak year
2011
1,998 babies that year
Average age
19
years old
1989 SSA rank
#212
Tracked since 1946
Gender
Gender distribution for Alaina
Out of the 49,207 babies given the name Alaina since 1880, 100.0% were registered as female. The name sits firmly on the female side of the spectrum, with only a handful of male registrations across the entire dataset.
Alaina as a male name
- Ranked #6,960 in 1989
- 6 male births in 1989
- Peak: 1989 (6 births)
Alaina as a female name
- Ranked #212 in 2024
- 1,444 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2011 (1,998 births)
Popularity
Alaina: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Alaina from the 1940s through to the 2020s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 17,295 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Alaina remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Alaina by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Alaina during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Alainas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 51 states and territories. Texas, Ohio, California recorded the most babies named Alaina, while Vermont, Wyoming, Hawaii recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 922 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Alaina
The name Alaina is a variant of the French name Alaine, which is derived from the Germanic name Alana. The name Alana is believed to have its origins in the Old German word "all," meaning "all" or "complete," and the suffix "-ana," which was a common ending for female names in Germanic languages.
The name Alaina first appeared in recorded history during the Middle Ages in France and other parts of Europe. It was a popular name among the nobility and upper classes during this time period. The earliest known recorded use of the name Alaina dates back to the 12th century.
In the 13th century, Alaina de Lacy was a prominent English noblewoman who lived from around 1200 to 1265. She was the daughter of John de Lacy, Earl of Lincoln, and played a significant role in the political affairs of her time.
Another notable historical figure with the name Alaina was Alaina Ferrante, an Italian painter who lived in the 16th century. She was one of the few female artists of the Renaissance period and was known for her portraits and religious paintings.
In the 17th century, Alaina de La Tour was a French noblewoman and writer. She was born around 1620 and is remembered for her memoirs, which provided insights into the lives of the French aristocracy during that era.
During the 19th century, Alaina Phinney was an American educator and activist. She was born in 1825 and was a pioneer in the field of education for women, founding one of the first schools for girls in the United States.
Alaina Lockhart was a Scottish author who lived in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. She was born in 1869 and wrote several novels and short stories that explored themes of Scottish culture and history.
While the name Alaina has its roots in various European languages and cultures, it has gained popularity in modern times and is now used in many parts of the world. However, its historical origins and the stories of notable individuals who bore this name continue to shape its legacy and significance.
People
Alaina + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Alaina as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with A
Other first names starting with A with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Alaina: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Alaina?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 48,200 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Alaina going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 7,111 US residents.
Is Alaina a common name?
We classify Alaina as "Uncommon". It ranks above 99.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 49,207 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Alaina most popular?
The single biggest year for Alaina was 2011, when 1,998 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Alaina is about 19 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Alaina a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Alaina in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.