Alma (f) 'all good'.
An early Irish name; but its modern usage can be traced to diverse origins - it is the feminine of Latin almus, 'loving' or 'good' and as such, it is applied to the Blessed Virgin. St Alma, the mother of St Tudwal, may derive her name from this source. Alma, as used by Spenser in The Faerie Queene (1590/6), comes from the Italian meaning 'soul', though Spenser may have heard the Irish name during his stay in Ireland. In later times, Alma was used in England after the Battle of Alma (1854) in the battle was fought, may have been Celtic in origin.

Alma became popular in the United States in the 1920s and probably came from the Latin, as in alma mater, a title originally applied to classical goddesses and later to academic institutions. Alma occurs as a masculine name in Irish legend; Alma One-Tooth was the name of a son of Nemed. Alma is also a masculine name in the Book of Mormon.