# Alpheus (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/alpheus/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | boys |
| Origin | not recorded |
| Meaning | “whitish” |
| Pronunciation | /ælˈfiːəs/, 2 syllables |
| Nicknames | none recorded |
| Variant spellings | Alfeios, Alphaeus, Alpheius |
| US babies named this | 770 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 770 / 0 (0% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 7, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

From Ancient Greek Ἀλφειός (Alpheiós, literally “whitish”).

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1959 | 5 | 4,005 |
| 1960 | 7 | 3,349 |
| 1962 | 5 | 4,055 |
| 1963 | 6 | 3,656 |
| 1967 | 7 | 3,237 |
| 1969 | 6 | 3,950 |
| 1970 | 7 | 3,850 |
| 1974 | 5 | 5,246 |
| 1978 | 6 | 5,083 |
| 1980 | 6 | 5,547 |
| 1983 | 5 | 6,270 |
| 1993 | 5 | 8,737 |
| 2022 | 6 | 10,934 |
| 2023 | 7 | 9,807 |
| 2024 | 7 | 9,951 |

### England and Wales, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 3 | 4,789 |
| 2023 | 4 | 4,107 |

## In other languages

- Greek: Αλφειός
- Italian: Alfeo
- Latin: Alphēus
- Polish: Alfeusz
- Portuguese: Alfeu

## People named Alpheus

- Alpheus Hyatt, American zoologist, paleontologist (1838-1902)
- Alpheus Spring Packard, American entomologist, palaeontologist (1839-1905)
- Alpheus Hyatt Verrill, American writer and naturalist (1871-1954)
- Alpheus Felch, American politician (1804-1896)

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.