Alga
Mythological name relating to fresh water algae and aquatic plant life.
Name Census estimates that about 6 living Americans carry the first name Alga. It is a predominantly female name (96.4% of registrations). The average person named Alga today is around 84 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Alga births was 1915 (11 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Alga. 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 Alga is about 84 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Algas were born before 1952.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Alga. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
6
~ 1 in 57,125,723 Americans
Peak year
1915
11 babies that year
Average age
84
years old
1930 SSA rank
#4,011
Tracked since 1888
Gender
Gender distribution for Alga
Alga leans heavily female at 96.4% of total registrations, but 5 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Alga as a male name
- Ranked #4,011 in 1930
- 5 male births in 1930
- Peak: 1930 (5 births)
Alga as a female name
- Ranked #5,840 in 1955
- 5 female births in 1955
- Peak: 1915 (11 births)
Popularity
Alga: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Alga from the 1880s through to the 1950s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 52 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
Alga 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 Alga 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 Alga
The name Alga is believed to have its origins in the Slavic languages, specifically in the Proto-Slavic root *algъ, which means "light" or "bright." This name may have been initially used as a descriptor for someone with a bright or radiant appearance or demeanor.
In the early medieval period, the name Alga was predominantly found in regions with significant Slavic populations, such as parts of modern-day Russia, Ukraine, Poland, and the Balkans. While its usage was relatively limited, it did appear in some historical records and chronicles from the 9th to the 13th centuries.
One notable historical figure with the name Alga was Alga of Plau, a 12th-century Slavic prince and ruler of the Principality of Plau, located in present-day eastern Germany. He is mentioned in several contemporary chronicles for his role in the conflicts between Slavic tribes and the expanding German principalities.
Another individual named Alga was Alga of Kiev, a 10th-century noblewoman and the wife of Prince Sviatoslav I of Kiev. She played a significant role in the early years of the Kievan Rus' and is referenced in the Primary Chronicle, one of the most important sources for the history of medieval Rus'.
In the 14th century, there was an Alga of Tver, a Russian princess and the daughter of Grand Prince Mikhail of Tver. She is mentioned in various genealogical records and chronicles from the time of the Grand Duchy of Moscow.
Moving forward in time, Alga Dzhidzhora was a 16th-century Circassian nobleman and military leader who served under the Ottoman Empire. He is noted for his participation in several campaigns against the Safavid Persians and is mentioned in Ottoman chronicles from the period.
Finally, Alga Bashindzhagian was an 18th-century Armenian writer and poet from the region of Karabakh (present-day Azerbaijan and Armenia). He is known for his contributions to the development of Armenian literature and is celebrated in Armenian literary circles.
While the name Alga has largely fallen out of common usage in modern times, its historical roots can be traced back to the Slavic world and the early medieval period, where it was occasionally used by individuals from various backgrounds and regions.
People
Alga + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Alga 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
Alga: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Alga?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 6 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Alga 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 57,125,723 US residents.
Is Alga a common name?
We classify Alga as "Very Rare". It ranks above 22.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 137 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Alga most popular?
The single biggest year for Alga was 1915, when 11 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Alga is about 84 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Alga a female name?
Yes, 96.4% of people registered as Alga 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.
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.