Alba is the Latin word for dawn (white, pale, the first light), and as a name it carries all of that: clean, bright, and genuinely beautiful without trying. It's also the name for Scotland in Scottish Gaelic and a city in Italy's Piedmont wine country, giving it a European elegance that works effortlessly on a female pet.
The Latin and Celtic Roots
Alba's Latin meaning gives it the same light-reference quality as Luna and Aurora, names that have dominated female pet naming for years. But Alba is less crowded than either of those. It's what parents who loved Aurora but wanted something less common found, and the same calculus applies to pets. Maltese, white Bichon Frises, and pale-coated cats wear it with obvious coherence.
Human-Pet Crossover
The human name Alba has been rising across Europe and is growing in the US, on the upswing in baby name charts in ways that tend to predict pet name trends by a few years. Getting ahead of that curve now means your pet has a name that feels current but not crowded.
The Counter-Reading: Aurora Still Shines Brighter
Alba and Aurora share the dawn/light meaning and similar aesthetic registers, but Aurora has significantly more cultural presence: Disney, Shakespeare, and three centuries of use. Alba's advantage is precisely its comparative rarity. If crowded fields bother you, Alba is the right choice. If you want instant recognition, Aurora is right there.