At the start of each year, official statistics are released: civil status services reveal the ranking of the most given first names. For the 2025 births, published at the beginning of 2026 by the City of Paris and INSEE, a surprise caused many future parents to react. In many French cities, Louise remains at the top of the bill, but in the capital, another feminine first name, short and sweet, has taken over. Its progression is such that it becomes difficult to miss when you leaf through the lists of first names.
This first name is Alma. According to the City of Paris, in 2025 Alma became the most given female first name in the capital, ahead of Louise, followed by Olivia, Sofia, Iris, Adèle, Gabrielle, Emma, Alice and Rose. Le Parisien indicates that 174 little Alma were born in Paris over the year, proof of a very recent breakthrough. INSEE observes the same dynamic in its First Name File: at the national level, Alma goes from around 2,380 births in 2024 to 2,500 in 2025, an increase of around 5% which propels it to 4th place among female first names.
Alma, number 1 female first name in Paris and Île-de-France
For the Parisian civil registry, the shift is clear: Alma dethrones Louise, who still dominated the ranking a few years earlier. The Top 10 female first names in Paris for 2025 place Alma ahead of Louise, then Olivia, Sofia, Iris, Adèle, Gabrielle, Emma, Alice and Rose. This list shows a marked taste for short first names ending in the vowel “a”, very present in the capital’s schoolyards.
The trend is not limited to the borders of Paris. According to INSEE, Alma also becomes the No. 1 female first name in Île-de-France in 2025, with around 615 births. When a first name is at the top of both the Parisian and regional rankings, it often sends a strong signal to the rest of the country, because these areas concentrate great social and cultural diversity.
The national progression of the first name Alma according to INSEE
National figures support this movement. According to the INSEE First Name File, Alma had around 2,380 births in 2024, which already placed it in the Top 10. In 2025, it reached around 2,500 births and climbed to 4th place among the most given female first names in France. The statistical institute points out that fashion cycles are shortening and that the diversity of first names given to children has never been so high.
This rise seems all the more rapid as Alma was still very rare around ten years ago. In 2024 there were already more than 2,000 births, a sign that in just a few years this first name has gone from discreet to essential.
Why the name Alma appeals so much to parents
The meaning of
first name Alma undoubtedly contributes to this success. The Latin almus means “nourishing”, while a Hebrew origin would refer to “young girl” and “learned”. These positive evocations, associated with a simple, international sound that is easy to pronounce in many languages, reassure parents who are looking for a sweet first name that is not too regionally marked.