The first name Alma
A girl’s name from Latin meaning “nourishing”, “kind”.
2 syllables Female
Meaning and origin
Latin origin
Alma means “nourishing”, “kind” in Latin.
Usually explained as Latin alma (“nourishing, kind”). It has also been used as a short form of Germanic compound names beginning with the element Amal-, as in Amelia.
From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Popularity
Babies registered in England and Wales, 1996–2025
In 2025, 222 girls were named Alma, making it the 211th most popular girls’ name.
Office for National Statistics; years with fewer than three births are not published and show as zero. Compare Alma with other names.
Popularity in the United States
Babies named Alma at birth, 1880–2025
In 2025, 689 girls born in the United States were named Alma, the 449th most popular girls’ name that year. It was used most in 1918, when 3,650 were.
US Social Security Administration, from applications for a Social Security card. A name is only published for a year when at least five babies were given it, so quieter years show as zero.
Alma in other languages
Equivalent forms of the name, from Wiktionary
Spelled Alma in Danish, Finnish, German, Latvian, Norwegian, Spanish and Swedish too.
Famous people named Alma
45 on Wikidata, most written-about first
- Alma MahlerAustrian composer, art collector, author, editor, and socialite (1879-1964)
- Alma DeutscherBritish composer, pianist and violinist, born 2005
- Alma RevilleEnglish film editor and screenwriter (1899–1982)
- Alma ZadićAustrian lawyer and politician, born 1984
- AlmaFinnish singer-songwriter (born 1996)
- Alma RichardsAmerican Olympic high jump gold medalist athlete, soldier, lawyer and teacher (1890–1963)
- Alma CoganBritish pop singer (1932–1966)
- Alma RubensAmerican actress (1897-1931)
- Alma AdamkienėFirst Lady of Lithuania, wife of Valdas Adamkus (1927–2023)
- Alma GluckAmerican singer (1884–1938)
- Alma AdamsAmerican politician in North Carolina (born 1946)
- Alma BennettAmerican actress (1904-1958)
More Latin girls’ names
Questions
- What does the name Alma mean?
- Alma means “nourishing”, “kind” in Latin.
- What is the origin of the name Alma?
- Usually explained as Latin alma (“nourishing, kind”). It has also been used as a short form of Germanic compound names beginning with the element Amal-, as in Amelia.
- How popular is the name Alma?
- In 2025, 222 girls born in England and Wales were named Alma, ranking 211th.
- Is Alma a boy's or a girl's name?
- Mostly a girl's name: 99% of the 165,942 US babies named Alma since 1880 were girls.
- When was Alma most popular?
- 1918 in the United States, when 3,650 babies were named Alma, its highest rank at 73rd.