| Pilar | Alba | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | pillar | Dawn |
| Origin | spanish | Spanish |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | pee-LAR | AHL-bah |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1896 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 2005 (137) | 2024 (205) |
| In 2025 | 47 | 177 |
| Trend | Declining | Near its peak |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Pilar | Alba |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 288 | 1,149 |
| 2010s | 627 | 1,390 |
| 2000s | 1,099 | 718 |
| 1990s | 760 | 811 |
| 1980s | 573 | 838 |
| 1970s | 626 | 356 |
| 1960s | 530 | 305 |
| 1950s | 246 | 320 |
| 1940s | 138 | 158 |
| 1930s | 165 | 301 |
| 1920s | 261 | 491 |
| 1910s | 154 | 461 |
| 1900s | 28 | 84 |
| 1890s | 10 | 54 |
| 1880s | 0 | 35 |
A Marian devotional name from 'María del Pilar', Our Lady of the Pillar — commemorating the tradition that the Virgin appeared to Saint James standing on a pillar in Zaragoza. Pilar is simply the Spanish word 'pillar, column', from the Latin pila.
Alba is the Spanish and Latin word for “dawn” or “sunrise.”
Alba is more popular than Pilar today: about 177 US babies were given the name Alba in 2025, compared with 47 named Pilar.
Pilar means pillar (spanish origin), while Alba means Dawn (Spanish origin).
In US records, Pilar first appears in 1896 and Alba in 1880, so Alba has the longer recorded history.