Alcide
A French masculine name derived from the German name Alcidius.
Name Census estimates that about 221 living Americans carry the first name Alcide. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Alcide today is around 65 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Alcide births was 1924 (39 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Alcide. 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.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Alcide is about 65 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Alcides were born before 1971.
People living today
221
~ 1 in 1,550,925 Americans
Peak year
1924
39 babies that year
Average age
65
years old
2020 SSA rank
#9,601
Tracked since 1880
Popularity
Alcide: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Alcide from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 14 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 248 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Alcide 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 Alcide during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Alcides live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maine recorded the most babies named Alcide, while Maine, Massachusetts, Louisiana recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 130 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Alcide
The given name Alcide has its origins in ancient Greek culture, derived from the Greek word "alkē," meaning strength or courage. It is believed to have emerged during the classical period of ancient Greece, around the 5th century BC.
The name Alcide is closely linked to the legendary Greek hero Heracles, also known as Hercules in Roman mythology. In Greek mythology, Heracles was celebrated for his exceptional strength and the completion of twelve arduous labors, earning him the epithet "Alcides," which translates to "the strong one" or "the mighty one."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Alcide can be found in the works of Greek poets and playwrights, such as Euripides and Sophocles, who frequently referenced Heracles and his feats in their tragedies and plays. The name also appeared in various Greek texts, including the Iliad by Homer.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Alcide. One prominent figure was Alcide d'Orbigny (1802-1857), a French naturalist and explorer who made significant contributions to the fields of paleontology and malacology. Another was Alcide De Gasperi (1881-1954), an Italian statesman who served as the first Prime Minister of the Italian Republic after World War II.
In the realm of literature, Alcide Dusolier (1836-1918) was a French poet and writer known for his works celebrating nature and rural life. Alcide Poitrineau (1854-1925) was a French sculptor renowned for his sculptures adorning public monuments and buildings in Paris.
The name Alcide also appears in the context of ancient Roman history. Alcide Santini (1835-1891) was an Italian archaeologist and scholar who specialized in the study of ancient Roman inscriptions and monuments.
These are just a few examples of individuals throughout history who have borne the name Alcide, a name steeped in the rich cultural heritage of ancient Greece and its enduring mythology.
People
Alcide + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Alcide 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
Alcide: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Alcide?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 221 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Alcide 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 1,550,925 US residents.
Is Alcide a common name?
We classify Alcide as "Very Rare". It ranks above 75.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,003 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Alcide most popular?
The single biggest year for Alcide was 1924, when 39 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Alcide is about 65 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Alcide a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Alcide 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.
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.