Given name & surname · also German
Alice
“noble”·“kind”·“type”
Alice has a long history in English and French, with Germanic roots and a lasting literary association with Wonderland.
Original GermanAdelheid
Meaning & origin
What it means
Its older Germanic elements mean “noble” and “kind” or “type.” The connection with nobility belongs to the name’s linguistic roots.
Where it comes from
Alice developed through Old French from Adalheidis, the Germanic name also behind Adelaide.
How it developed
The longer Adalheidis was greatly shortened before reaching its Old French form. Alice and Adelaide therefore share an older source, even though they became distinct names.
The story
Alice returned to wider use in the nineteenth century. Lewis Carroll’s two Alice stories gave it an enduring literary association; his heroine drew inspiration from Alice Liddell.
Alice through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 590,106
- 1,959 boys · 588,147 girls
- Most popular year
- 1921
- 11,990 babies
- 2025
- 3,547
- #65 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −3%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 3,547 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 65 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 3.2% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 11,955 in 1921. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (391). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 225,222 as a first name in 2020; 631 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Alice’s family of names
Alice has a diminutive in Alison. In English usage, Alice shares an earlier linguistic root with Adelaide. In English usage, Alice has a related form in Janice.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Alice has relatives in 31 languages. Lines run from its Proto-Germanic roots to each of them.
39 related names in 31 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 65
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Adelheidfull form · German, Dutch
- Allisonvariant
- Elsiediminutive · English
- Ellisvariant · French, Danish
- Alivariant
- Adelaidevariant · English
- Aliciavariant · Swedish, Spanish
- Alyssavariant
Show 52 moreShow fewer
- Alisonvariant
- Alliediminutive · English
- Allysonvariant
- Alysonvariant
- Alisavariant · Finnish
- Alessavariant
- Alissavariant
- Allydiminutive · English
- Janicevariant · English
- Alysevariant
- Alyshavariant
- Alycevariant
- Alixvariant · French
- Alesiavariant
- Alyssiavariant
- Alysiavariant
- Alisevariant · Latvian, Swedish
- Alysvariant · Old French, Welsh
- Alisiavariant
- Alyciavariant
- Aleciavariant
- Allivariant
- Aleshavariant
- Alysavariant
- Allisvariant
- Alyssvariant
- Alyssevariant
- Alishahvariant
- Allyssavariant
- Alissevariant
- Allicelikely variant
- Allysevariant
- Allycevariant
- Allisavariant
- Alishiavariant
- Aleeshiavariant
- Alishyavariant
- Alissyavariant
- Aliseavariant
- Aleasiavariant
- Aleashiavariant
- Aleashavariant
- Alisannevariant
- Aliceavariant
- Aleeshavariant
- Aleeciavariant
- Aleecevariant
- 粗口娟nickname
- Alíciavariant · Portuguese, Catalan
- Aličkadiminutive · Czech
- Allysvariant
- Allissvariant
And 5 more.
Spellings & scripts 3
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 37
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- Alisequivalent
- Alizequivalent
- Alicjasee also · Polish
- Ailieequivalent
- Adelizequivalent
- Ailisequivalent
- Alicaderivative · Slovak
- Aliisaderivative · Finnish
Show 29 moreShow fewer
- Leciarelated form
- Alikiequivalent
- Alikeequivalent
- LiisaFinnish
- Âltśeequivalent
- أليسequivalent
- Ealishequivalent
- ЭлисRussian
- ОлесяRussian
- 앨리스borrowing · Korean
- 愛麗斯borrowing · Chinese
- Aaliitborrowing · Greenlandic
- 阿麗絲borrowing · Chinese
- 艾麗絲borrowing · Chinese
- 愛麗絲borrowing · Chinese
- ΑλίκηGreek
- Adélaïdedoublet · French
- Adaliceequivalent
- АлісаUkrainian
- アリスJapanese
- LísaIcelandic
- ElisiSwahili
- АлисаRussian
- Ali̍çialij-MC
- AlízHungarian
- AlicoEsperanto
- 爱丽丝Chinese
- Adalheidroot · Old High German
- Ailíscognate
See also 4
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Alice
- Alice MunroCanadian writer (1931–2024)
- Alice WalkerAmerican author and activist (born 1944)
- Alice CooperAmerican singer (born 1948)
- Alice WeidelGerman politician (born 1979), AfD
- Alice BradyAmerican actress (1892–1939)
- Alice PaulAmerican suffragist, feminist, and activist (1885–1977)
- Princess Alice of the United KingdomGrand Duchess of Hesse and by Rhine from 1877 to 18781843–1878
- Alice EveBritish actressborn 1982
- Alice BallAfrican American chemist (1892–1916)
Characters named Alice: Alice (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland), Alice (fictional character appearing in the Resident Evil movie series), Alice Cullen (Twilight), Alice (Disney's Alice in Wonderland).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Alice, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Lena
“the shining light” · “the favored one”
>99% girls
Rose
“horse” · “fame”
>99% girls
Adele
“of the nobility; serene; of good humor”
>99% girls
Harriet
“ruler of the house” · “home”
>99% girls
Louise
“a famous warrior”
>99% girls
Evelyn
“a birdlike woman” · “a birdlike man”
>99% girls
Ida
“a king”
>99% girls
Eleanor
“shining light”
>99% girls