Where does the name Alison come from?

Alison is a girl name of French origin.

Is Alison a boy or a girl name?

Alison is overwhelmingly a girl name in the United States. Of the 115,568 U.S. babies recorded with this name, more than 99% are girls.

How popular is the name Alison in 2023?

Alison ranks #471 for girls in the U.S. Social Security Administration's 2023 dataset. Its all-time U.S. peak was 1980 with 2,980 babies.

How do you pronounce Alison?

Alison is pronounced AL-i-son (3 syllables).

What are common spellings of Alison?

Alison is also written as Allison, Alyson, Alison.

A name from French · Girl

Alison

Norman-French diminutive of Alice, ultimately from Germanic Adelheidis — adal ('noble') + heid ('kind, type'); 'noble of kind'. Used in English since the medieval period.

Compare

Popularity over time

A 118-year arc in numbers.

115,568 U.S. births recorded from 1905–2023.

Popularity · 1905–2023

654 births in 2023

1905 1964 2023

Babies named per year Peak year Most recent

Meaning

A name that means something.

ANorman-French diminutive of Alice, ultimately from Germanic Adelheidis — adal ('noble') + heid ('kind, type'); 'noble of kind'. Used in English since the medieval period.

Variants & spellings

3 ways to spell "Alison".

Each transliteration carries a slightly different cultural fingerprint.

Allison Most common Alyson Alison

Famous bearers

People who carry the name Alison.

A
Allison Williams (actress)
A
Alison Krauss (bluegrass musician)
A
Alison Brie (actress)

Quick answers

People often ask about Alison.

What does the name Alison mean?: Alison means norman-French diminutive of Alice, ultimately from Germanic Adelheidis — adal ('noble') + heid ('kind, type'); 'noble of kind'. Used in English since the medieval period.
Where does the name Alison come from?: Alison is a girl name of French origin.
Is Alison a boy or a girl name?: Alison is overwhelmingly a girl name in the United States. Of the 115,568 U.S. babies recorded with this name, more than 99% are girls.
How popular is the name Alison in 2023?: Alison ranks #471 for girls in the U.S. Social Security Administration's 2023 dataset. Its all-time U.S. peak was 1980 with 2,980 babies.
How do you pronounce Alison?: Alison is pronounced AL-i-son (3 syllables).
What are common spellings of Alison?: Alison is also written as Allison, Alyson, Alison.

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From Old French rous ('red-haired') with the diminutive -el; originally a Norman nickname for a red-haired or red-cheeked person

About this page

Popularity counts come from the U.S. Social Security Administration's national dataset. Meanings and origins are curated from etymological sources. If you spot an error, please let us know.