Alaira
A feminine name of Celtic origin meaning "ethereal" or "bright spirit".
Name Census estimates that about 191 living Americans carry the first name Alaira. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Alaira today is around 14 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Alaira births was 2010 (17 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Alaira. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Alaira with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
191
~ 1 in 1,794,525 Americans
Peak year
2010
17 babies that year
Average age
14
years old
2024 SSA rank
#9,551
Tracked since 2000
Popularity
Alaira: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Alaira from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 77 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Alaira remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Alaira 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 Alaira during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Alaira
The name Alaira is of uncertain origin, though it is often associated with various languages and cultures around the world. One theory suggests that it may be derived from the Arabic name Aliya, which means "exalted" or "sublime." This connection could trace the name's roots back to the Middle East and the Arabic-speaking regions.
Another possibility is that Alaira finds its origins in the Celtic languages, particularly Irish or Scottish Gaelic. In these cultures, the name may have been a variation of the name Alastriona, which means "defender" or "protector." This potential Celtic link could point to the name's use in parts of the British Isles and Ireland.
Some sources also speculate that Alaira may have ties to the Sanskrit language, where it could be related to words like "alara," meaning "beautiful" or "radiant." If this is the case, the name's origins may stretch back to ancient India and the rich linguistic and cultural traditions of that region.
While the precise origins of the name Alaira remain uncertain, there are a few notable individuals throughout history who have borne this name. One of the earliest recorded examples is Alaira of Aquitaine (circa 790 CE - 869 CE), a Frankish noblewoman and the wife of King Louis the Pious of the Carolingian Empire.
Another prominent figure was Alaira of Normandy (1020 CE - 1089 CE), a member of the Norman nobility and a powerful landowner in medieval France. In the realm of literature, Alaira was the name of a character in the 12th-century romantic epic "Tristan and Iseult," written by the French poet Béroul.
Moving forward in time, Alaira Della Valle (1524 - 1592) was an Italian painter and poet during the Renaissance period, known for her portraits and religious works. In the 18th century, Alaira Montalban (1718 - 1801) was a Spanish philosopher and educator who made significant contributions to educational reform in her country.
These historical examples showcase the diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds from which the name Alaira may have emerged, as well as its presence across various periods and regions throughout history.
People
Alaira + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Alaira 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
Alaira: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Alaira?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 191 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Alaira 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 1,794,525 US residents.
Is Alaira a common name?
We classify Alaira as "Very Rare". It ranks above 73.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 193 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Alaira most popular?
The single biggest year for Alaira was 2010, when 17 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Alaira is about 14 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Alaira in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Alaira a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Alaira 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.
Is Alaira still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Alaira in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Alaira can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have the name Alaira?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.