Given name & surname
Allison
“the son of a noble”·“noble”·“kind”
Allison is a variant of Alison. One English interpretation is “the son of a noble.” Allison is a variant of Alice. Alice’s older Germanic elements mean “noble” and “kind” or “type.” The connection with nobility belongs to the name’s linguistic roots.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Allison is a variant of Alison. One English interpretation is “the son of a noble.” Allison is a variant of Alice. Alice’s older Germanic elements mean “noble” and “kind” or “type.” The connection with nobility belongs to the name’s linguistic roots. In English use, Allison is a diminutive of Alan. Interpretations include “one who is precious” and “resembling a little rock”. These belong to different or overlapping naming contexts.
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Allison is a variant of Alison. An origin associated with Alison is English. Allison is a variant of Alice. Alice developed through Old French from Adalheidis, the Germanic name also behind Adelaide. In English use, Allison is a diminutive of Alan. A possible origin is Celtic, although the derivation remains uncertain.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
In English usage, Allison is a diminutive of Alan. Allison is a variant of Alice. The shared background comes through Alice: 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.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. Allison is a variant of Alice. The history of Alice gives this family its wider 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.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Allison through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 322,944
- 3,825 boys · 319,119 girls
- Most popular year
- 1994
- 8,163 babies
- 2025
- 2,570
- #103 for girls · #10,756 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −28%
- Easing
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 0% boys.
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 2,564 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 103 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 28.3% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 8,150 in 1994. It also appeared in 6 birth records for boys in 2025. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (435). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 280,746 as a first name in 2020; 49,879 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.
Allison’s family of names
In English usage, Allison is a diminutive of Alan. Allison has a related form in Alice. Allison has a related form in Alison.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Allison has relatives in 3 languages.
4 related names in 3 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 5
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 4
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 3
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Allison
- Alyson HanniganAmerican actress and television presenter (born 1974)
- Allison JanneyAmerican actress (born 1959)
- Allison MackAmerican former actressborn 1982
- Allison WilliamsAmerican actress and producer (born 1988)
- Allison SchmittAmerican swimmer, Olympic gold medalist, world champion, world record-holderborn 1990
- Allison TolmanAmerican actressborn 1981
- Allison PineauFrench handball player (1989-)
- Allison MillerAmerican actressborn 1985
- Hazel BruggerSwiss comedianborn 1993
Characters named Allison: Allison Cameron (House), Allison Taylor (the television series 24).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Allison, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Emily
“rival”
>99% girls
Angela
“messenger” · “a heavenly messenger; an angel”
>99% girls
Sophia
“wisdom”
>99% girls
Alyssa
“noble” · “kind”
>99% girls
Allie
“the son of a noble” · “helper and defender of mankind”
>99% girls
Alissa
“noble” · “kind”
>99% girls
Jessica
“The Lord sees all”
>99% girls
Alicia
“noble” · “kind”
>99% girls