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1: Alma is used chiefly in the English, German, Italian, and Spanish languages, and its origin is Latin. From the element 'almus' which means nourishing, kind. The name is of uncertain origin; it is most likely derived from Latin. The Latin root word is familiar from the term Alma Mater 'fostering mother' used to denote one's school. The given name was first used during the Italian Renaissance, but it remained rare. It saw a brief vogue among English speakers after the Crimean War, when the British and their allies defeated the Russians at the Battle of Alma (1854), which was named after a river in the Crimea. The name has in recent times appeared as the names of the character Alma Sedgewick in the award-winning British soap opera Coronation Street (1960-), as well as the unsuspecting wife Alma del Mar in the US film Brokeback Mountain (2005).
2: Alma's language of origin is Spanish. Derived from the element alma with the meaning 'soul'. This derivation was explained by a fictional bearer in Tennessee Williams's play Summer and Smoke (1948). 3: Alma is of Italian origin. Derived from the element 'alma' which has the meaning soul. This derivation was used by Edmund Spenser for a character in his epic poem The Faerie Queene (1590, 1596). 4: Alma is of Hebrew origin. Alma has the meaning maiden. In addition, Alma is a variant of the name Amalia (German and Scandinavian) in the German language. Alma is a classic favorite. Today it is still somewhat popular as a baby name for girls, though to a lesser extent than it was previously. At the modest height of its usage in 1901, 0.470% of baby girls were named Alma. Its ranking then was #52. The baby name has since markedly slipped in popularity, and is currently of occasional use. In 2007, its usage was only 0.019% and its ranking #713, but it was nevertheless the most popular within all girl names in its group. Baby names that sound like Alma include Aileen (English and German), Alene (English and Czech), Aline (French, Irish, Scottish, and English), Almha (Irish), Alwine (German), Eileen (English and Irish), Elaine (English), Isleen (English and Irish), Islene (English and Irish), Alaina (English), Alana (English), Alanah (English), Alani (English), Alanna (English), Alannah (English), Alawna (English), Alayna (English), Alena (Russian and Czech), Alina (French), Allana (English), Allanna (English), Allannah (English), Alona (English and Hebrew), Elaina (English), Eliane (German), Éliane (French), and Eliana (German, Italian, and Spanish). KEY: Pronunciation for Alma: AE as in "at (AE.T)" ; L as in "lee (L.IY)" ; M as in "me (M.IY)" ; AH as in "hut (HH.AH.T)" ; AO as in "ought (AO.T)" ; L as in "lee (L.IY)" ; M as in "me (M.IY)" ; AH as in "hut (HH.AH.T)" A famous person named Alma is Alma Cogan, Singer, born Alma Angela Cohen, 19 May 1932 - 26 October 1966, Stepney, London, England.
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