boy's name
Alter
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 5
- Popularity Rare
- Births on record 426
Alter is a boy's name with 2 syllables. In 2025 it was given to 15 babies in the United States. It is a rare choice.
- Peaked in 2012, when 21 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 221,043 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1914.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Alter over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1910s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1910s | 19 |
| 1920s | 24 |
| 1930s | 11 |
| 1940s | 5 |
| 1950s | 12 |
| 1960s | 5 |
| 1970s | 11 |
| 1980s | 32 |
| 1990s | 42 |
| 2000s | 107 |
| 2010s | 104 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 54 |
How popular is Alter?
In 2025, Alter was given to 15 babies in the United States. It is a rare choice.
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Alter
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Alter also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Alter over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Sibling names for Alter
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Alter — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Alter
How popular is the name Alter?
In 2025, Alter was given to 15 babies in the United States. It is a rare choice.
Is Alter a girl's or a boy's name?
Alter is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Alter?
Alter has 2 syllables.
When was Alter most popular?
Alter peaked in 2012, when 21 babies were given the name. Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
Is Alter a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Alter currently ranks #5,891 in the United States. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.