Alden is of Germanic origin, derived from the Old English elements 'ælf' meaning elf and 'denu' meaning valley. It is a unisex given name, but is more commonly used for males. The name Alden has been popular in several waves throughout history, first gaining prominence during the Middle Ages. It experienced a resurgence in the late 20th century, peaking in popularity in the United States in the early 1980s.
The name Alden experienced a significant rise in popularity during the late 20th century and early 21st century, with a notable peak in recent years. Between 1924 and 1975, there were fewer than 10 babies named Alden each year, with some years recording no births at all. However, beginning in the mid-1970s, the number of births with the name Alden started to increase gradually, reaching double digits consistently by the early 1980s.
The late 1980s and early 1990s saw a substantial growth in popularity for the name Alden, with peaks of 19 births in 1988, 22 births in 1993, and 25 births each in 1998 and 2001. This trend continued throughout the early 2000s, with a record high of 41 births recorded in 2004.
Since 2004, the popularity of the name Alden has remained consistently high, with annual birth numbers ranging from the mid-teens to the low thirties. The most recent data available shows that there were 25 births named Alden in both 2022 and 2023.
In total, over the period from 1924 to 2023, there have been 908 babies named Alden recorded in these annual statistics. This upward trend in popularity suggests that Alden is now a well-established and popular name choice for newborns.