| Alba | Reina | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Dawn | queen |
| Origin | Spanish | spanish |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | AHL-bah | RAY-nah |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 0 |
| Peak year | 2024 (205) | 2024 (551) |
| In 2025 | 177 | 0 |
| Trend | Near its peak | Rising |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Alba | Reina |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 1,149 | 2,973 |
| 2010s | 1,390 | 3,232 |
| 2000s | 718 | 2,721 |
| 1990s | 811 | 2,002 |
| 1980s | 838 | 1,326 |
| 1970s | 356 | 790 |
| 1960s | 305 | 412 |
| 1950s | 320 | 232 |
| 1940s | 158 | 126 |
| 1930s | 301 | 122 |
| 1920s | 491 | 97 |
| 1910s | 461 | 31 |
| 1900s | 84 | 0 |
| 1890s | 54 | 16 |
| 1880s | 35 | 0 |
Alba is the Spanish and Latin word for “dawn” or “sunrise.”
The Spanish word 'reina' means 'queen', descending from Latin 'regina'. Also spelled Reyna. (A separate Hebrew/Yiddish name Reina meaning 'pure' exists; the Spanish 'queen' sense is the relevant one here.)
Alba is more popular than Reina today: about 177 US babies were given the name Alba in 2025, compared with 0 named Reina.
Alba means Dawn (Spanish origin), while Reina means queen (spanish origin).
In US records, Alba first appears in 1880 and Reina in 0, so Reina has the longer recorded history.