Altheia
A feminine name of Greek origin meaning "with truth" or "truthful".
Name Census estimates that about 55 living Americans carry the first name Altheia. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Altheia today is around 65 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Altheia births was 1965 (9 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Altheia. 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 Altheia. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
55
~ 1 in 6,231,897 Americans
Peak year
1965
9 babies that year
Average age
65
years old
1981 SSA rank
#10,468
Tracked since 1951
Census
Altheia in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 121 people with the first name Altheia, which placed it at #50,149 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
#50,149
National first-name rank
People counted
121
121 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.0
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
80.2% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Altheia
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Altheia is Black at 80.2%. The next largest groups are White (13.2%) and Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Altheia 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 Altheia at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American80.2% · 97
- White13.2% · 16
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 4
- Two or more races3.3% · 4
Popularity
Altheia: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Altheia from the 1950s through to the 1980s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, with 34 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1960s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Altheia 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 Altheia 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 Altheia
The name Altheia is of Greek origin, derived from the ancient Greek word "aletheia," which means truth or sincerity. This name has its roots in ancient Greek mythology and philosophy, reflecting the high value placed on honesty and truthfulness in Greek culture.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Altheia can be found in the works of Plato, the renowned Greek philosopher who lived from 428 BC to 348 BC. In his dialogues, Plato often used the concept of "aletheia" to represent the pursuit of truth and knowledge.
During the Hellenistic period, which lasted from the 4th century BC to the 1st century BC, the name Altheia gained popularity among Greek-speaking communities. It was often bestowed upon girls as a symbol of their parents' aspirations for them to embody the virtues of truthfulness and integrity.
In later centuries, the name Altheia spread to various regions influenced by Greek culture, including parts of the Middle East and Asia Minor. One notable historical figure who bore this name was Altheia of Alexandria, a renowned philosopher and mathematician who lived in the 4th century AD. She made significant contributions to the study of geometry and was highly respected in her time.
Another prominent figure with the name Altheia was Altheia of Crete, a Greek poet who lived in the 7th century AD. She is known for her lyrical works that celebrated the beauty of nature and the human experience.
During the Byzantine Empire, which lasted from the 4th century AD to the 15th century AD, the name Altheia continued to be used, although it was less common than other Greek names. One notable bearer of the name was Altheia Palaiologina, a Byzantine princess who lived in the 14th century AD and was renowned for her intellect and love of learning.
In more recent history, Altheia Hendrix, an American artist and poet who lived from 1907 to 1985, gained recognition for her thought-provoking works that explored themes of identity, social justice, and the human condition.
While the name Altheia has ancient roots and a rich history, it has remained relatively uncommon in modern times, perhaps due to its unique spelling and pronunciation. However, for those who appreciate its deeper meaning and connection to Greek culture and philosophy, it remains a beautiful and meaningful choice.
People
Altheia + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Altheia 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
Altheia: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Altheia?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 55 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Altheia 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 6,231,897 US residents.
Is Altheia a common name?
We classify Altheia as "Very Rare". It ranks above 55.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 72 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Altheia most popular?
The single biggest year for Altheia was 1965, when 9 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Altheia is about 65 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Altheia in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 121 people with the name Altheia, or 0.04 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #50,149 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 Altheia 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 Altheia?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Altheia appears almost entirely female. Of the 120 people counted with this name, 100.0% 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 Altheia?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Altheia is Black at 80.2%. The next largest groups are White (13.2%) and Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Altheia most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Altheia in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.2% (97 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 Altheia in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Altheia a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Altheia 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 Altheia still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Altheia 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 Altheia 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 share the name Altheia?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.