Alison Name Meaning

Alison means “of noble birth”. The name conveys qualities such as grace, elegance, and sophistication.

Origins of the Name Alison

Alison is a name of French origin that means “of noble birth”. The name was first recorded in the 13th century and was popular in Scotland. It was a common surname before being used as a given name.

Popularity of the Name Alison

Alison was a popular name in the mid-20th century, reaching its peak in popularity in the 1960s and 1970s. It has since declined in popularity but still remains a classic, timeless name. In the United States, Alison was the 127th most popular name for baby girls born in 2020.

Final Thoughts on the Name Alison

Alison is a classic, timeless name with a rich history and meaning. Although it may not be as popular as it once was, it remains a charming and sophisticated name for a baby girl.

Infographic of Alison name meaning, which is Alison is a German name meaning noble one.
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Alison Name Popularity

How popular is the name Alison? Here’s everything we know.

Year Rank # Births % Births
1910 — 0 0%
1911 — 0 0%
1912 — 0 0%
1913 — 0 0%
1914 — 0 0%
1915 — 5 0.0006%
1916 — 0 0%
1917 — 11 0.0011%
1918 — 0 0%
1919 — 5 0.0005%
1920 — 0 0%
1921 — 5 0.0004%
1922 — 0 0%
1923 — 0 0%
1924 — 0 0%
1925 — 0 0%
1926 — 0 0%
1927 — 8 0.0007%
1928 — 5 0.0005%
1929 — 5 0.0005%
1930 — 7 0.0007%
1931 — 8 0.0008%
1932 — 13 0.0013%
1933 — 8 0.0009%
1934 — 21 0.0022%
1935 — 10 0.001%
1936 — 23 0.0024%
1937 — 15 0.0015%
1938 — 19 0.0019%
1939 — 18 0.0018%
1940 — 19 0.0018%
1941 — 19 0.0017%
1942 — 52 0.0041%
1943 — 35 0.0027%
1944 — 38 0.0031%
1945 — 79 0.0065%
1946 — 158 0.0107%
1947 — 176 0.0105%
1948 — 210 0.0132%
1949 — 264 0.0164%
1950 — 301 0.0187%
1951 — 360 0.0212%
1952 — 372 0.0213%
1953 — 420 0.0237%
1954 — 563 0.0308%
1955 — 489 0.0266%
1956 — 548 0.029%
1957 — 506 0.0263%
1958 — 960 0.0508%
1959 — 1,155 0.0608%
1960 — 1,245 0.0657%
1961 — 1,387 0.0735%
1962 — 1,410 0.0768%
1963 — 1,354 0.0754%
1964 — 1,432 0.0814%
1965 — 1,441 0.0881%
1966 — 932 0.0597%
1967 — 858 0.0565%
1968 — 881 0.0587%
1969 — 1,061 0.0689%
1970 — 1,752 0.1101%
1971 — 2,199 0.1463%
1972 — 1,800 0.1322%
1973 — 1,917 0.1479%
1974 — 2,070 0.1593%
1975 — 2,263 0.1761%
1976 — 2,264 0.1757%
1977 — 2,362 0.1752%
1978 — 2,428 0.1806%
1979 — 2,933 0.208%
1980 — 2,979 0.2037%
1981 — 2,699 0.1836%
1982 — 2,726 0.1824%
1983 — 2,491 0.1688%
1984 — 2,509 0.1687%
1985 — 2,824 0.1861%
1986 — 2,972 0.1969%
1987 — 2,765 0.1812%
1988 — 2,536 0.1627%
1989 — 2,483 0.1539%
1990 — 2,356 0.1421%
1991 — 2,145 0.1316%
1992 — 2,055 0.1287%
1993 — 2,236 0.1434%
1994 — 2,111 0.1376%
1995 — 1,932 0.1282%
1996 — 1,894 0.1265%
1997 — 1,749 0.1183%
1998 — 1,625 0.1086%
1999 — 1,505 0.1005%
2000 — 1,355 0.0887%
2001 — 1,335 0.0886%
2002 — 1,344 0.0897%
2003 — 1,398 0.0919%
2004 — 1,420 0.0932%
2005 — 1,231 0.0805%
2006 — 1,202 0.0768%
2007 — 1,151 0.073%
2008 — 1,215 0.0786%
2009 — 1,427 0.0955%
2010 — 1,196 0.083%
2011 — 1,252 0.0879%
2012 — 1,147 0.0805%
2013 — 1,035 0.0727%
2014 — 1,101 0.0756%
2015 — 932 0.0641%
2016 — 947 0.0657%
2017 — 781 0.056%
2018 — 734 0.0534%
2019 — 721 0.0533%
2020 — 654 0.0514%
2021 — 600 0.0491%
2022 — 674 0.0511%
2023 — 624 0.0482%

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Data via SSA.gov.


Names Like Alison

If you like Alison, you’ll love these other names like Alison.


What names are variants of Alison?

Mix it up with these names that are a variation of the name Alison.

Name Meaning Origin Popularity Other Gender
Aili

Of noble estate

Scandinavian

Alie

Precious; awakening; noble, bright, famous; man's defender; noble, exalted

Polynesian

Alisann

Noble, exalted

German

Alisanne

Noble, exalted

German

Alisoun

Noble, exalted

German

Alisun

Noble, exalted

German

Allcen

Noble, exalted

German

Allcenne

Noble, exalted

German

Allicen

Noble, exalted

German

Allicenne

Noble, exalted

German

Allie

Shortened Al- name form

English

Allisann

Noble, exalted

German

Allisanne

Noble, exalted

German

Allison

Noble one

German

Allisoun

Noble, exalted

German

Allsun

Noble, exalted

German

Ally

Noble, bright, famous; man's defender; noble, exalted

Greek

Allysann

Noble, exalted

German

Allysanne

Noble, exalted

German

Allyson

Noble, exalted

German

Allysoun

Noble, exalted

German

Alysan

Noble, exalted

German

Alysann

Noble, exalted

German

Alysanne

Noble, exalted

German

Alyson

Noble, exalted

German

Alysoun

Noble, exalted

German


What names sound like Alison?

If you like how Alison sounds, you might also like these names that sound like Alison.

Name Meaning Origin Popularity Other Gender
Alicen

Noble, exalted

German

Alisan

Noble, exalted

German

Allisun

Noble, exalted

German


What names are similar to Alison?

Find a name that’s like Alison, but just a little bit different.

Name Meaning Origin Popularity Other Gender
Alcinda

Light", or a variant of the Old German name Alison, meaning "noble

Latin


Lists With Alison

Find inspiration in these baby girl name lists featuring the name Alison.


Siblings of Alison

Mamas with kids named Alison also have kids with these names.

Name Meaning Origin Popularity Other Gender
Timothy

Honoring God

Greek

5 Comments

  1. I’ve been under the impression that the name is of English origin. Alison is the female name and Allison is a
    surname. Knowing it’s from Germany is a rather new idea to me. My grandma was Alice and my parents looked for something similar but not the same. My middle name is Joy. Grandma Alice’s middle name was Hope. In a sense, we had very similar names, but not alike.

  2. I was born in 1955 and my father, who was an English professor- American Literature actually, named me after several women in literature who have some variation of the name Alison. They are all unique, strong minded women. My family moved to Seattle when I was one and as a child, I only remember one person whose name was Alison and she was elderly. It was an unusual name at that point. When my children were young, however, many girls were being named Alison, but now the popularity has lessened I think.
    I had some trouble identifying with the name probably because my last name also ended with “on”. For awhile, I went with Ali but now I like the name, especially since my father named me and I adored my father.

  3. This is my name, Alison. This was my mothers maiden name but it was spelled Allison, so she dropped the “L” leaving the spelling with the unusual spelling of one “L”. My middle name is Ann. I absolutely hated and still hate my first name “Alison”. This is why I do spelling variations, Ali, Alie, Allyann, Allyanna. I have 7 grandchildren, and I tell my daughter to please not name any of her children Alison. Oh it is a unisex name, a boy or a girl can have it as a first name. I have not met many Alison’s with one “L”, but the ones I have hate their name.

  4. ?My middle name is Alison & I love it. I love it, not only because it’s my middle name, but because it starts with A. That means my middle name starts with the same letter as the names of the Disney Princesses, Aurora & Ariel. That means it starts with the same letter as the name of Anna from “Frozen”. That means it starts with the same letter as the names of the Greek goddesses, Artemis & Athena. I love it because it has a beautiful sound.

  5. We actually had a very hard time deciding what we wanted to name our daughter. We ended up looking through baby name books and with 2 different colored pens we circled the names each my husband and I liked. when we were done the only name we both had circled was Alison. So that’s what we names our daughter. The only name out of thousands that we both liked and agreed on.


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