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Allegra

Gender: Feminine
Language: English
Etymology:
Allegra comes from an Italian word meaning “Merry,” or “Glad” or “Cheerful.”

History:
According to A Dictionary of First Names (Hanks and Hodges, 1990), Allegra was coined by George Gordon, Lord Byron, the famous English poet. He bestowed the Italian word as a name upon his illegitimate daughter, Clara Allegra Byron (1817-1822), who was also called Alba.

It is and has always been a rare name.

Pronunciation: al-egg-rah.

Diminutives: Allie, Ally.

Alternates: Alegra, Allegria.


Popularity:
Percentage from the 1990 U.S. Census:
0.002 % named Allegra

Popularity of Allegra:
Popularity (for newborns):
In the United States...
1880-2004: N/A


Selected Sources:
A Dictionary of First Names, Hanks and Hodges, 1990
The Penguin Dictionary of First Names, Pickering, 1999

The Social Security Administration Actuarial Note 139 (www.ssa.gov) - For popularity stats 1880-Present
The 1880 U.S. Census- For popularity stats 1850-1880, and other information (it is available on-line at www.familysearch.org)

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