Alphaeus
A masculine name of Aramaic origin meaning "changing" or "a learned person".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Alphaeus. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Alphaeus today is around 4 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Alphaeus births was 2022 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Alphaeus. 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
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Alphaeus. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2022
5 babies that year
Average age
4
years old
2022 SSA rank
#12,443
Tracked since 2022
Popularity
Alphaeus: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Alphaeus 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 Alphaeus during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Alphaeus
The name Alphaeus has its origins in the ancient Greek language. It is derived from the Greek word "alphos," which means "dazzling" or "brilliant." The name likely emerged in the Mediterranean region during the classical era of ancient Greece.
One of the earliest documented references to the name Alphaeus can be found in the New Testament of the Bible. In the Gospel of Mark, Alphaeus is mentioned as the father of the apostle James the Less. This Alphaeus is believed to have lived in the 1st century AD.
Another notable historical figure with the name Alphaeus was a Greek grammarian who lived in the 3rd century AD. He is known for his work on the Greek language and for writing commentaries on ancient texts.
In the 4th century AD, there was a Christian martyr named Alphaeus who was executed in Alexandria, Egypt, during the persecution of Christians by the Roman Emperor Diocletian.
During the Middle Ages, the name Alphaeus was occasionally used in Europe, particularly in areas with strong Greek cultural influences, such as Italy and the Byzantine Empire.
One of the most famous individuals with the name Alphaeus was Alphaeus Philagrius, a Greek astronomer and mathematician who lived in the 14th century. He made significant contributions to the study of astronomy and is credited with developing improved methods for calculating the positions of celestial bodies.
In the 16th century, there was an Italian humanist and philosopher named Alphaeus Mihiratius, who was known for his writings on ethics and moral philosophy.
Throughout history, the name Alphaeus has been used across various cultures and regions, although it has remained relatively uncommon compared to some other names of Greek origin. Despite its rarity, the name has persisted, carrying on the legacy of its ancient roots and historical significance.
People
Alphaeus + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Alphaeus 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
Alphaeus: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Alphaeus?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Alphaeus 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 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Alphaeus a common name?
We classify Alphaeus as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Alphaeus most popular?
The single biggest year for Alphaeus was 2022, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Alphaeus is about 4 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 Alphaeus in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Alphaeus a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Alphaeus 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 Alphaeus still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Alphaeus 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 Alphaeus 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 are named Alphaeus?
See how many people have the name Alphaeus on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.