Alonna
A feminine French form of the Old German name Alohna, meaning "to wander".
Name Census estimates that about 2,545 living Americans carry the first name Alonna. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Alonna today is around 21 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Alonna births was 2008 (118 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Alonna. 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.
People living today
2.5K
~ 1 in 134,678 Americans
Peak year
2008
118 babies that year
Average age
21
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,692
Tracked since 1946
Census
Alonna in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 1,975 people with the first name Alonna, which placed it at #7,649 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
#7,649
National first-name rank
People counted
2.0K
1,975 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.7
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
46.8% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Alonna
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Alonna is Black at 46.8%. The next largest groups are White (33.2%) and Two or More Races (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 Alonna 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 Alonna at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American46.8% · 925
- White33.2% · 655
- Two or more races9.8% · 194
- Hispanic or Latino7.8% · 154
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 33
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 14
Popularity
Alonna: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Alonna from the 1940s through to the 2020s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 880 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2010s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Alonna 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 Alonna during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Alonnas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 19 states and territories. Michigan, California, Ohio recorded the most babies named Alonna, while Wisconsin, New York, Mississippi recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 44 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Alonna
The name Alonna is a variant of the feminine given name Alana, which has its origins in the Gaelic language. It is derived from the Old Irish word "alain," meaning "beautiful" or "handsome." The name gained popularity in the medieval period, particularly among the Celts in Ireland, Scotland, and parts of England.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Alonna can be traced back to the 12th century, when it appeared in Irish annals and manuscripts. During this time, the name was often associated with the Gaelic tradition of naming children after virtues or desirable qualities, reflecting the name's meaning of "beautiful."
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Alonna. In the 14th century, Alonna of Galloway (c. 1300-1375) was a Scottish noblewoman and heiress who played a significant role in the Wars of Scottish Independence. She was a staunch supporter of Robert the Bruce and is mentioned in various historical accounts of the time.
In the 16th century, Alonna O'Malley (c. 1520-1603) was an Irish pirate queen who commanded a fleet of ships and is celebrated as a fierce leader and seafarer. Her exploits are documented in contemporary chronicles and have inspired numerous literary works and legends.
Fast forward to the 19th century, Alonna Munro (1823-1888) was a Scottish poet and writer who published several volumes of poetry and prose. Her works often explored themes of nature, love, and the Scottish Highlands, and she was a prominent figure in the literary circles of her time.
In the 20th century, Alonna Shaw (1898-1976) was an American classical pianist and composer. She gained recognition for her interpretations of works by Beethoven, Chopin, and other renowned composers, and her compositions were praised for their lyrical and emotive qualities.
Another notable figure with the name Alonna is Alonna Mariah Mendoza (1928-2018), a Filipino dancer and choreographer. She was a pioneer in the field of modern dance in the Philippines and is credited with introducing new forms of contemporary dance to the country.
While the name Alonna has its roots in the Gaelic language and Celtic traditions, it has gained popularity across various cultures and regions over the centuries. Its enduring appeal can be attributed to its beautiful meaning and the rich historical tapestry associated with this name.
People
Alonna + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Alonna 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
Alonna: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Alonna?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2,545 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Alonna 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 134,678 US residents.
Is Alonna a common name?
We classify Alonna as "Rare". It ranks above 94.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,609 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Alonna most popular?
The single biggest year for Alonna was 2008, when 118 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Alonna is about 21 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Alonna in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 1,975 people with the name Alonna, or 0.65 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #7,649 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 Alonna 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 Alonna?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Alonna appears almost entirely female. Of the 1,979 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 Alonna?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Alonna is Black at 46.8%. The next largest groups are White (33.2%) and Two or More Races (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 Alonna most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Alonna in the 2020 Census, accounting for 46.8% (925 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 Alonna in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Alonna a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Alonna 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 Alonna still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Alonna 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 Alonna 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 have the name Alonna?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the name Alonna on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.