Alarik
A masculine name of Germanic origin meaning "ruler of all".
Name Census estimates that about 292 living Americans carry the first name Alarik. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Alarik today is around 8 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Alarik births was 2019 (35 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Alarik. 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 Alarik with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
292
~ 1 in 1,173,816 Americans
Peak year
2019
35 babies that year
Average age
8
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,828
Tracked since 2003
Popularity
Alarik: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Alarik 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 148 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Alarik 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 Alarik during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Alariks live
Origin
Meaning and history of Alarik
The name Alarik is of Germanic origin, derived from the elements "alu" meaning "all" and "rik" meaning "ruler" or "mighty". It dates back to the 4th century AD and is closely associated with the Visigothic king Alaric I, who sacked Rome in 410 AD, marking a significant turning point in the decline of the Western Roman Empire.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Alarik can be found in the works of the Roman historian Claudius Claudianus, who documented the exploits of Alaric I and his conquests in the early 5th century. The name gained prominence during the Migration Period, when various Germanic tribes were on the move across Europe.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Alarik. One of the most famous was Alaric I (370-410 AD), the first king of the Visigoths to invade and sack the city of Rome. His legacy left a lasting impact on the course of Western civilization.
Another notable figure was Alarik II (484-507 AD), a Visigothic king who ruled over parts of modern-day Spain and southern France. He is known for issuing the Breviarium Alaricianum, a legal code that helped establish the foundations of medieval Spanish law.
In the Middle Ages, Alarik III (c. 650-c. 700) was a king of the Visigoths who ruled in the region of Septimania, now part of southern France. He is remembered for his efforts to maintain the independence of the Visigothic kingdom during a turbulent period of conflict with the Franks.
Later, in the 19th century, Alarik Torild Bagge (1837-1895) was a Norwegian politician and jurist who served as the Prime Minister of Norway from 1888 to 1889 and again from 1891 to 1893.
More recently, Alarik Myrin (1915-2002) was a Swedish actor and film director, known for his work in both cinema and television productions throughout the 20th century.
While the name Alarik may have fallen out of widespread use in modern times, its historical significance and connection to the Germanic tribes that played a pivotal role in shaping European history remain an integral part of its legacy.
People
Alarik + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Alarik 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
Alarik: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Alarik?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 292 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Alarik 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 1,173,816 US residents.
Is Alarik a common name?
We classify Alarik as "Very Rare". It ranks above 78.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 294 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Alarik most popular?
The single biggest year for Alarik was 2019, when 35 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Alarik is about 8 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 Alarik in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Alarik a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Alarik in the SSA data are male. 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 Alarik still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Alarik 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 Alarik 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 are called Alarik?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.