Alethia
A feminine name from Greek meaning "truth".
Name Census estimates that about 1,620 living Americans carry the first name Alethia. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Alethia today is around 45 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Alethia births was 1973 (74 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Alethia. 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 Alethia with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
1.6K
~ 1 in 211,577 Americans
Peak year
1973
74 babies that year
Average age
45
years old
2024 SSA rank
#8,941
Tracked since 1894
Census
Alethia in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 1,616 people with the first name Alethia, which placed it at #8,835 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#8,835
National first-name rank
People counted
1.6K
1,616 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.5
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
56.8% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Alethia
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Alethia is Black at 56.8%. The next largest groups are White (27.2%) and Hispanic (9.8%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Alethia described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Alethia at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American56.8% · 918
- White27.2% · 439
- Hispanic or Latino9.8% · 159
- Two or more races3.7% · 60
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 31
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 9
Popularity
Alethia: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Alethia from the 1890s through to the 2020s, spanning 14 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 349 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Alethia 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 Alethia during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Alethias live
The SSA's state-level files cover 9 states and territories. South Carolina, Georgia, New York recorded the most babies named Alethia, while New Jersey, Virginia, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 48 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Alethia
The name Alethia has its origins in Ancient Greek, where it was derived from the word "aletheia," meaning "truth" or "disclosure." It first emerged during the classical period of ancient Greek culture, which lasted from the 5th to the 4th century BC. The name was initially associated with the philosophical concept of truth and honesty, reflecting the intellectual and cultural values of that era.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Alethia can be found in the works of the renowned Greek philosopher Plato. In his dialogue "Cratylus," Plato explores the etymology and significance of various words, including "aletheia." This text, written around 360 BC, provides insights into the name's profound meaning within the context of ancient Greek thought.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Alethia. One of the earliest recorded individuals was Alethia of Thessalonica (c. 330 AD), a Christian martyr who faced persecution during the reign of the Roman Emperor Licinius. Her unwavering commitment to her faith and her refusal to renounce her beliefs earned her a place in the annals of early Christian history.
Another prominent figure was Alethia Hayter (1911-2001), an English author, and poet who made significant contributions to the literary world. Her works, which included poetry collections and translations, explored themes of identity, spirituality, and the human experience. Hayter's use of the name Alethia added a layer of depth and meaning to her literary endeavors.
In the realm of philosophy, Alethia Araoz (1922-2014) was a notable figure. Born in Argentina, she was a philosopher and educator who dedicated her life to the study of existentialism and phenomenology. Araoz's work explored the nature of human existence, consciousness, and the pursuit of truth, echoing the essence of the name Alethia.
Another noteworthy individual was Alethia Tanner (1951-2015), an American civil rights activist and lawyer. She played a crucial role in advocating for equality and social justice, particularly in the areas of voting rights and fair housing. Tanner's name, Alethia, resonated with her commitment to uncovering and upholding the truth in the face of injustice.
Lastly, Alethia Biray (c. 1495-1541) was a French Renaissance writer and intellectual. She was known for her poetic works, which explored themes of love, spirituality, and the human condition. Biray's name, Alethia, reflected the intellectual curiosity and pursuit of knowledge that characterized the Renaissance period.
People
Alethia + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Alethia 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
Alethia: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Alethia?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,620 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Alethia 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 211,577 US residents.
Is Alethia a common name?
We classify Alethia as "Rare". It ranks above 92.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,512 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Alethia most popular?
The single biggest year for Alethia was 1973, when 74 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Alethia is about 45 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Alethia in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 1,616 people with the name Alethia, or 0.54 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #8,835 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Alethia in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Alethia?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Alethia appears almost entirely female. Of the 1,623 people counted with this name, 99.6% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Alethia?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Alethia is Black at 56.8%. The next largest groups are White (27.2%) and Hispanic (9.8%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Alethia most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Alethia in the 2020 Census, accounting for 56.8% (918 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Alethia in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Alethia a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Alethia 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 Alethia still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Alethia 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 Alethia 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.
How many people are called Alethia?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.