Alison
Girl nameAlison has been given to 117,481 babies in the U.S. since 1905. It peaked in 1986 and currently ranks #476 for girls (2025).
Meaning & origin /ˈælɪsən/
From Middle English Alisoun, from Old French Alison, brought to England by the Normans (from Anglo-Norman Alison, from Norman Alison), diminutive of Aliz, equivalent to English Alice, from Old High German Adalhaid (“of noble kind”).
Origin: Germanic languages
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Popularity over time births per year, 1880–2025
Total babies
117,481
Peak year
1986 (3,000 babies)
Rank in 2025
#476 for girls
First recorded
1905
10-year trend
▼ -33%
Gender split
99% girls / 1% boys
Famous people named Alison
Alison Brie
American actress and writer (born 1982)
Alison Krauss
American musician
Alison Lohman
American actress
Alison Pill
Canadian actress (born 1985)
Notability data from Wikidata (CC0).
Names with a similar vibe
Same primary gender, peaked around the same years, and roughly as common as Alison.
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