The term first appears in classical texts as Ἀλβίων Albíōn[5] or Ἀλουΐων Alouíōn (in Ptolemy's writings in Greek), and later as Albion in Latin documents.
[6] It later came to be used by Gaelic speakers in the form of Alba (dative Albainn, genitive Albann, now obsolete) as the name given to the former kingdom of the Picts which, when first used in this sense (around the time of king Causantín mac Áeda (Constantine II, 943–952)), had expanded.
It also appears in the anglicised literary form of Albyn, as in Byron's Childe Harold: BBC Alba, a television channel broadcasting mainly in Scottish Gaelic, was launched in September 2008 as a joint venture between the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and Gaelic company MG Alba.
A new version of Runrig's song Alba (originally on their album, The Cutter and the Clan) was featured on the channel's launch.
In March 2021, former first minister of Scotland and leader of the SNP Alex Salmond launched the pro-independence Alba Party, set to contest the 2021 Scottish Parliament elections.