Althea
Girl name · #1300 in 2025 · Rare
Althea is currently the #1300 girl name in the United States — 171 babies received it in 2025. A decade ago it stood at #1643, so the name has been rising over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 10,526 girls born in 2025 was named Althea.
Babies named Althea per year. Source: SSA.
The 145-year story
Althea first appears in the Social Security records in 1880, when 9 girls received the name. Its peak came in 1956, when 388 girls were named Althea — good for #475 that year. Today's parents encounter it as a name from their grandparents’ generation, which is precisely the vintage window from which names get revived. Following the curve matters more than today's snapshot: a name's position on its rise-peak-decline arc is the best predictor of how common it will feel in a kindergarten class five years from now.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Althea against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Althea in class?
On our rarity read — which blends how common Althea is today with its five-year momentum — the name reads as "rare". A high score means genuine rarity — your Althea will likely be the only one in the room, with the occasional spelling-out as the price.
Where Althea is most common
Geography matters for names, and Althea is no exception. Adjusted for how many girls are born in each state, Althea is most common in OH (0.3 per 1,000), NY (0.1 per 1,000), CA (0.1 per 1,000) — against a national average of about 0.1 per 1,000 girls. These are per-capita rates, so they show where Althea is a genuine regional favorite rather than just where the most babies are born.
Names like Althea
Statistically, parents drawn to Althea tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Roslyn, Alethea, Delia, Susanna, and Minerva.
RoslynAletheaDeliaSusannaMinervaRosalynAnitaLucinda
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Althea | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 171 | #1299 |
| 2024 | 160 | #1398 |
| 2023 | 167 | #1348 |
| 2022 | 175 | #1343 |
| 2021 | 145 | #1476 |
| 2020 | 156 | #1398 |
| 2019 | 167 | #1355 |
| 2018 | 162 | #1386 |
| 2017 | 154 | #1460 |
| 2016 | 128 | #1667 |
| 2015 | 130 | #1643 |
| 2014 | 92 | #2096 |
| 2013 | 101 | #1953 |
| 2012 | 73 | #2495 |
| 2011 | 72 | #2511 |
| 2010 | 81 | #2341 |
| 2009 | 75 | #2510 |
| 2008 | 59 | #2957 |
| 2007 | 57 | #3047 |
| 2006 | 57 | #2978 |
| 2005 | 68 | #2524 |
| 2004 | 66 | #2526 |
| 2003 | 69 | #2393 |
| 2002 | 55 | #2745 |
| 2001 | 53 | #2766 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Althea a popular girl name?
Althea ranked #1300 among girls in 2025 with 171 babies given the name — outside the top 500, making it an uncommon pick. Ten years earlier it ranked #1643.
When was the name Althea most popular?
Althea peaked in 1956, when 388 American girls received the name (ranked #475 that year). Since 1956 the name has declined from that high.
How rare is the name Althea?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 10,526 newborn American girls was named Althea. On our rarity scale (rarity blended with momentum) we classify it as "rare".
Data source: U.S. Social Security Administration name statistics, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect Social Security card applications; names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a state-year are suppressed by the SSA.