Alison (given name)

Alison
Pronunciation/ˈælɪsən/ AL-i-sən
GenderFemale; Male (in lusophone countries)
Origin
Meaning'little Alice'
Other names
Variant formsAlisoun, Alisson, Allisson, Allyson, Allysson, Alyson, Alysson, Alicen, Alycen

Alison is a female given name in English-speaking countries. It was originally a medieval French nickname for Alis / Alys, an old form of Alice derived with the suffix -on or -son sometimes used in the former French nicknames. The Middle English form was Alisoun.

The variant spelling Allison is the most common form in the United States. Other variations include Alisson, Allisson, Allyson, Allysson, Alyson, Alysson, Alicen and Alycen, with nicknames Allie, Alley, Alie, Ali, Ally, Aly, Al, Aley and Alli.

Allison also has separate, disputed roots as a family name. Men were named Allison from the transferred use of surnames as first names.

Alison, variant form Alizon, is also a French surname.

Popularity

The name is first recorded in Scotland in the 12th century. It was popular until the early 19th century and, spelled Allison, was the 45th most common name given to baby girls in the United States in 2005 (Allyson was #253; Alison, #259; Alyson, #468; Allie, #256; Ally, #656; and Alice, #414). In 1990 in the United States, Allison was the 228th most popular name for women of all ages; Alison was No. 347, Allyson, #775; Alyson, #981; Allie, #764; Ali, #2434; and Alice, No. 51. Alison in any spelling did not enter the top 100 baby names in 2005 in England and Wales.

Allison last entered the top 1000 baby names for males in the United States in 1946, when it ranked No. 968. In the 1910s it ranked from 667 to 981, and in the first decade of the 20th century, it ranked as high as No. 927.

In Lusophone countries like Brazil and Portugal, Alison and variant forms are also used as masculine given names.

People named Alison

Women

Men

Fictional

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Albert Dauzat, Noms et prénoms de France, Librairie Larousse 1980, édition revue et commentée par Marie-Thérèse Morlet. p. 6a.
  2. 1 2 Katie Martin-Doyle, The Treasury of Baby Names, Worth Press, Cambridge 2005. ISBN 978-1903025116.
  3. ↑ "Allison – Name Meaning and Origin". Ancestry.com. Archived from the original on 2011-06-12.
  4. ↑ "Surname Database: Allison Last Name Origin". Retrieved 2013-06-02.
  5. ↑ Dunkling, Leslie A.; Gosling, William (1993). A dictionary of first names (Major new, 4., repr ed.). London: Everyman [u.a.] p. 10. ISBN 978-0-460-86185-4.
  6. ↑ Popular Names by Birth Year: Dec 2007 Ssa.gov
  7. ↑ "Most Common Female Names in the U.S." mongabay.com.
  8. ↑ "Most Popular Names for Births in England and Wales 2005". behindthename.com
  9. ↑ Campbell, Mike (2012). "Popularity for ALLISON in the United States, percent Used, Male". Behind the Name: the etymology and history of first names. Retrieved 31 August 2013.
This page lists people that share the same given name.
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