Aleph
First letter of the Hebrew alphabet, derived from the Phoenician aleph.
Name Census estimates that about 145 living Americans carry the first name Aleph. It is a predominantly male name (96.7% of registrations). The average person named Aleph today is around 7 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Aleph births was 2023 (27 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Aleph. 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 Aleph with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
145
~ 1 in 2,363,823 Americans
Peak year
2023
27 babies that year
Average age
7
years old
2024 SSA rank
#4,829
Tracked since 1919
Gender
Gender distribution for Aleph
Aleph leans heavily male at 96.7% of total registrations, but 5 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Aleph as a male name
- Ranked #5,051 in 2024
- 19 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2023 (27 births)
Aleph as a female name
- Ranked #4,829 in 1919
- 5 female births in 1919
- Peak: 1919 (5 births)
Popularity
Aleph: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Aleph from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 77 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
Aleph 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 Aleph during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Alephs live
Origin
Meaning and history of Aleph
The name Aleph has its origins in the Hebrew language and culture, tracing back to ancient times. It is derived from the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, "Aleph" (א), which is believed to have originated from the Phoenician letter "Aleph," meaning "ox."
In the Hebrew tradition, the letter Aleph holds significant symbolic meaning, representing the oneness of God and the unity of all creation. It is considered the primordial letter from which all other letters emerged, symbolizing the beginning and the source of all things.
The name Aleph is mentioned in various ancient Jewish texts, including the Hebrew Bible and the Talmud. It is often used as a representation of the divine, symbolizing the infinite and the eternal.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Aleph can be found in the work of the renowned Jewish philosopher and scholar, Maimonides (1138-1204 CE). He referred to the letter Aleph as a representation of the divine essence and the source of all existence.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Aleph. One such figure was Aleph ben Shalom (12th century CE), a Jewish scholar and poet from Spain, known for his contributions to Hebrew literature and poetry.
Another prominent figure was Aleph ben Shlomo (13th century CE), a Jewish philosopher and theologian from Spain, who wrote extensively on the interpretation of the Torah and Jewish mysticism.
In the modern era, one of the most famous individuals with the name Aleph was the Israeli writer and Nobel Laureate, Shmuel Yosef Agnon (1888-1970). He adopted the pen name "Shmuel Yosef Agnon," with "Agnon" being a Hebrew word derived from the letter Aleph, symbolizing his deep connection to the Hebrew language and tradition.
Another notable individual with the name Aleph was the French-Jewish writer and philosopher, Aleph Isac (1929-2008), who explored themes of identity, exile, and the human condition in his works.
Aleph Kaplan (1918-2008), an American mathematician and computer scientist, made significant contributions to the field of computer science and was recognized for his work in developing the programming language APL (A Programming Language).
While the name Aleph is rooted in ancient Hebrew tradition, it has transcended cultural boundaries and found its way into various societies and contexts, carrying with it the symbolic weight of its origins and the profound significance it holds within the Hebrew tradition.
People
Aleph + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Aleph 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
Aleph: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Aleph?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 145 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Aleph 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 2,363,823 US residents.
Is Aleph a common name?
We classify Aleph as "Very Rare". It ranks above 69.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 151 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Aleph most popular?
The single biggest year for Aleph was 2023, when 27 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Aleph is about 7 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 Aleph in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Aleph a male name?
Yes, 96.7% of people registered as Aleph 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 Aleph still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Aleph 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 Aleph 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 Aleph?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.