Given name
Alys
“noble”·“kind”·“type”
Alys 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
Alys 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.
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Alys is a variant of Alice. Alice developed through Old French from Adalheidis, the Germanic name also behind Adelaide.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
In English use, Alys is used as a spelling variant of Alice. Alys 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. Alys 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
Alys through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 1,359
- 0 boys · 1,359 girls
- Most popular year
- 1920
- 29 babies
- 2025
- 27
- #4,885 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +98%
- Rising fast
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 27 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 4,885 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 98.3% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. In 2025, Florida had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (5). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 769 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Alys’s family of names
In Cornish usage, Alys developed from the Old High German form ADALHEID. Alys has an alternative spelling in Alice. Alys has a related form in Alice.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Alys has relatives in 4 languages.
5 related names in 4 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 4
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 4
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Alys
- Alys Williamswater polo playerborn 1994
- Alys Pearsall SmithWife of Bertrand Russell1867–1951
- Alys FaizPakistani writer1915–2003
- Alys Fane TrotterSouth African artist1862–1961
- Alys RobiCanadian musician (1923–2011)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Alys, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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