Alva is a unisex given name. It is used in Sweden and

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

as a feminine form of the name Alf, meaning " elf." It is also a spelling variant of the

Biblical The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...

masculine name Alvah, meaning "his highness." Alva is a currently popular name in Sweden, where it was ranked among the ten most popular names given to newborn girls in 2012. Notable people with the name include:

Men

* Alva Adams (governor) (1850–1922), Governor of Colorado *

Alva B. Adams Alva Blanchard Adams (October 29, 1875 – December 1, 1941) was a Democratic politician who represented Colorado in the United States Senate from 1923 until 1924 and again from 1933 to 1941. Biography Adams was born in Del Norte, Colorado an ...

(1875–1941), U.S. Senator from Colorado, son of the governor *

Alva Baptiste Alva Romanus Baptiste is a Saint Lucian politician who represents the constituency of Laborie for the Saint Lucia Labour Party. Baptiste won the seat at the general election held on 11 December 2006. He also won convincingly in the 2011, 2016 and ...

, Saint Lucian politician *Alva Ted Bonda (1917–2005), president and part-owner of the Cleveland Indians Major League Baseball team * Alva Bradley (1884–1953), American businessman and baseball executive *

Alva M. Cummins Alva Marvin Cummins (February 24, 1869August 8, 1946) was an American lawyer. Cummins was admitted to the bar in 1891. From there, he went on to serve in leadership positions of multiple bar associations. Cummins also had a political career marke ...

(1869–1946), American lawyer *

Alva Duer Alva O. Duer (November 18, 1904 – November 18, 1987) was a college basketball coach and National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and United States Olympic Committee administrator and is a member of the NAIA and Basketball Halls o ...

(1904–1987), American college basketball coach *

Alva R. Fitch Alva Revista Fitch (September 10, 1907 – November 25, 1989) was a lieutenant general in the United States Army and was deputy director of Defense Intelligence Agency from 1964 to 1966. He commanded an artillery battalion during the Battle of Ba ...

(1907–1989), United States Army lieutenant general * Alva Clark Forney (1871–1956), Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota (1925–1927) * Alva Garey (1883–1971), American politician * Alva L. Hager (1850–1923), three-term U.S. Representative from Iowa * Alva Johnston (1888–1950), Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, author and biographer * Alva Kelley (1918–1999), American collegiate football player and coach * Alva Liles (1956–1998), American football player *

Alva M. Lumpkin Alva Moore Lumpkin (November 13, 1886 – August 1, 1941) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of South Carolina and the United States District Court for the Western District of South Car ...

(1886–1941), U.S. Senator from South Carolina for less than a month * Alva Hugh Maddox (1930–2020), a justice of the Supreme Court of Alabama from 1969 to 2001 * Alva Noë (born 1964), American philosopher and cognitive scientist *Alva Allie Paine (1919–2008), American basketball player * Alva Ross (1928–2004), Jamaican politician

Women

Alva Belmont Alva Erskine Belmont (née Smith; January 17, 1853 – January 26, 1933), known as Alva Vanderbilt from 1875 to 1896, was an American multi-millionaire socialite and women's suffrage activist. She was noted for her energy, intelligence, strong ...

(1853–1933), American socialite and suffragette * Alva Challis (1930 – 2010), Welsh-born New Zealand geologist * Alva Colquhoun (born 1942), Australian swimmer * Alva C. Ellisor (1892–1964), American geologist, one of the first female stratigraphers in North America *

Alva Forsius Alva Forsius (24 May 1866 – 14 July 1935) was a Finnish midwife and social worker. One of the founding members of the Finnish Salvation Army, she became aware of the effects of poverty and unsanitary conditions for new mothers. She established t ...

(1866–1935), Finnish midwife, social worker and a founding member of the Finnish Salvation Army * Alva Myrdal (1902–1986), Swedish Nobel Peace Prize winner

References

{{given name Unisex given names