Alma (/ˈɑːlmə/ AHL-mə) is an English feminine given name, but has historically been used in the masculine form as well, sometimes in the form Almo. The origin of the name is debated, it was reserved as a title for classical goddesses as in the use "alma mater". It gained popularity after the Battle of Alma in the 19th century and appeared as a fashionable name for girls and a popular place name, but it has decreased in appearance in the 20th and 21st centuries. The name Alma also has several meanings in a variety of languages, and is generally translated to mean that the child "feeds one's soul" or "lifts the spirit".
The exact origin of the name Alma is debated, but it is most likely derived, in the female form, from the Latin word almus, which means "kind", "fostering", or "nourishing". It has been most familiarized by its use in the term alma mater, which means "fostering mother", or "nourishing mother", and in modern times is most associated with a collegiate hymn or song, or to encompass the years in which a student earned their degree. Also, the Arabic word for "the water" and "on the water" are el-ma and al-ma, respectively. It may also be of Greek derivation, where the word αλμη means "salt water".
It has been applied repeatedly for the title of goddesses, namely Diana and Ceres, as well as other deities of the light, earth, and day. Alma was used classically in connotation as a way to reflect the traditional female roles in providing nurture, following its derivation from its Latin root. It was introduced with minimal usage during the Italian Renaissance, as the likely result of a character by Edmund Spenser in his poem "The Faerie Queene". Alma, who is the head of the House of Temperance, is considered to parallel the spirit metaphorically.
On 20 September 1854 the Battle of Alma, named after the Alma River nearby, which was a war between the French, English, and Ottoman empires and the Russian empire was fought and ended. This battle is typically considered to be the first battle of the Crimean War. Alma is the Crimean Tatar word for "apple". The name had limited use for females prior to the war, and afterwards it began appearing in birth registers for both male and female, and in significantly higher frequency. Alma also came in conjunction with many terms related to the circumstances of the war, such as "Alma Victoria", "Alma Balaklava" and "Alma Inkerman". Primarily in West England, many were christened with the name Alma. The widespread use has been attributed to the extensive news coverage of the Crimean War.
The Book of Alma, a part of The Book of Mormon features two men named Alma: a father and a son who are both prophets. Critics have found humor in the texts use of the name in the masculine form, primarily because it was historically used in religious texts as a feminine title and name.
The name Alma also appears in Irish folklore in the masculine form: the son of Nemed was named "Alma One-Tooth", a noble prince who fought repeatedly for a respite in taxes issued by Conann on his people.
Alma reached its highest popularity of usage in the year 1901, when it ranked No. 52 of most popular names. In birth registers, this constituted .47% of the population, or roughly 1 in every 213 births. Its usage today has dropped into the thousands.
In numerology, the name Alma corresponds to the number 9. The characteristics of this value mean compassion, charitableness, and civility; it is regarded as being the "Humanitarian".
The name Alma, with its Latin origin, appears in various European languages, and has different meanings in each. These varieties do not generally stray from the notion of the wise, nurturing mother, however.
Arabic • Woman with beautiful lips, The Unbelievable but TrueAramaic • WorldGothic • Working One, Brave One, also short form of names starting with 'Amal-' and Member of the AmalsGreek • Salt WaterHebrew • Young girlHungarian • AppleItalian • The Spirit SoulKazakh Language • AppleKyrgyz Language • Apple- АлмаLatin • The Nourishing One, Gentle, Loving, Bounteous One and The Spiritually Supportive OneMongolian • Wild Man (Yeti-like creature)Spanish • The Spirit SoulTurkish Language • AppleIn the Hebrew Bible, Almah means young girl or young woman. In the Septuagint, the word is often rendered as parthenos ('virgin'), most famously in Isaiah 7:14, which is quoted in Matthew 1:23 as a prophecy about Jesus being born of the Virgin Mary.
Alma Adams (born 1946), American politician and educatorAlma Alexander (born 1965), American writerAlma Allen, Danish resistance memberAlma Allen, American politicianAlma Allen (born 1970), American sculptorAlma Åkermark (1853–1933), Swedish feministAlma Bella (1910–2012), Filipino actressAlma Beltran (1919–2007), Mexican film actressAlma Bennett (1914–1958), American film actressAlma Birk (1917–1996), British journalist and politicianAlma Čardžić (born 1968), Bosnian singerAlma Carlisle (born 1927), American architectAlma Cogan (1932–1966), English singerAlma Cook (Alma; born 1991), American singerAlma Delfina (born 1954), Mexican actressAlma Denny (1906–2003), American columnistAlma Deutscher (born 2005), English composer and musicianAlma Evans-Freke (born 1931), New Zealand television personalityAlma Fahlstrøm (1863–1946), Norwegian theatre actress, director and managerAlma Delia Fuentes (born 1937), Mexican actressAlma Galarza, Puerto Rican singerAlma Garcia (born 1970), American writerAlma Gluck (1884–1938), American opera singerAlma Guillermoprieto (born 1949), Mexican journalistAlma Hanlon (1890–1977), American film actressAlma Hinding (1882–1981), Danish film actressAlma Hjelt (1853-1097), Finnish women's rights activistAlma Hunt (1909–2008), American religious leaderAlma Hunt (1910–1999), Bermudian and Scottish cricketerAlma Jodorowsky (born 1991), French actress, model and singerAlma Kar (1908–1992), Polish actressAlma Karlin (1889–1950), Slovene-Austrian authorAlma Kruger (1868/1871–1960), American actressAlma Mahler (1879–1964), Austrian socialite and composerAlma Martínez (footballer) (born 1981), Mexican footballerAlma Martinez (actress) (born 1953), American actressAlma McClelland (1921–2000), American poker playerAlma Moodie (1898–1943), Australian violinistAlma Moreno (born 1959), Filipina actress and politicianAlma Muriel (1951–2014), Mexican actressAlma Murray (1854–1945), English actressAlma Pihl (1888–1976), Finnish jewellerAlma Powell (born 1937), American audiologistAlma Prica (born 1962), Croatian actressAlma Qeramixhi (born 1963), Albanian heptathleteAlma Redlinger (born 1924), Romanian painterAlma Reville (1899–1982), English film director, screenwriter and editor, wife of Alfred HitchcockAlma Rosé (1906–1944), Austrian violinistAlma Rubens (1897–1931), American actressAlma Söderhjelm (1870–1949), Swedish-Finnish historianAlma de Bretteville Spreckels (1881–1968), American socialite and art collectorAlma G. Stallworth, American politicianAlma Taylor (1895–1974), British actressAlma Thomas (1891–1978), American painterAlma Vītola (born 1992), Latvian long distance runnerAlma Vogt (born 1925), Australian cricket playerAlma Wagen (1878–1967), American mountain climberAlma Bridwell White (1862–1946), American religious leaderAlma Richards (1890–1963), American high jumperAlma Sonne (1884–1977), American Mormon general authorityAlma O. Taylor (1882–1947), American missionary and translatorAlma Beoulve, in the video game Final Fantasy TacticsAlma Coin, in the novel MockingjayAlma Gutierrez, in the American television series The WireAlma Halliwell, in the soap opera Coronation StreetAlma Hodge, in the soap opera Desperate HousewivesAlma Jinnai, in the Japanese anime Jewelpet Tinkle - see List of Jewelpet Twinkle episodesAlma Montemayor, protagonist of Porque el amor mandaAlma Singer, in the novel The History of LoveAlma Wade, an antagonist from the game F.E.A.R.Alma Walker, in the television series American Horror Story: AsylumAlma Winemiller, protagonist of Tennessee Williams' play Summer and SmokeAlma, main character in Ingmar Bergman's 1966 film PersonaAlma, a Greater Fiend from the video game Ninja GaidenAlumit • English, Hebrew.Amalia • Hebrew, German, Scandinavian, Czech, Hungarian, ItalianAlmeta, Almetta • African American.Aimu (阿 爾 馬) • Chinese.AlmacitaAlmitaAllieAlmalitoAlmiAlmeezyAlmizleAliAlloom (In Arabic)Allooma (In Arabic)Amelia • EnglishAmelberga • English.
