Alison - A very unique female name
Alison at a glance
Alison is ranked #473 among girl baby names in 2025, with 616 births in 2025. It peaked in 1986 at #96 and first appeared on the charts in 1915.
- Rank in 2025
- #473
- Births in 2025
- 616
- Peak year
- 1986 (#96)
- First appeared
- 1915
- Trend
- #441 in 2020 → #473 in 2025 (Falling)
- Popularity
- 1 in 2,116 girls
- Visitor rating
- 5.0/5 (5 recent votes)
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration · Data through 2025 · Updated 2026
With that position 1 in 2,116 baby girls were given this name - making this a very unique female name according to our Popularity Score algorithm. Alison peaked in popularity 40 years ago in 1986 on position 96.
Famous with this name
Alison Thornton
Alison Brie
Alison Pill
How would you rate Alison, 1-5?
Alison is currently topping the charts in...
Did you know that popularity can vary a lot between states? Alison is currently topping the baby name charts in Maine at position #177 - and is the least popular in Michigan at position #1,067.Why care about state specific baby name charts? It could be that a name that is very popular on the national overall charts is less (or even more) popular where you live. So make sure you check out the state specific charts below and find out how popular or unique Alison is where you live.
Comment and discuss
Alison origin and meaning
Medieval Norman French, diminutive of Alice (Germanic)
From Alice: 'of noble kind' (Germanic Adalheidis)
Alison was a medieval pet form of Alice so popular in Chaucer's England that it became a name in its own right, then faded and revived in the 20th century. It peaked in 1980 and has been gently falling since, keeping a literary, understated feel.
Attested etymology
Alison is a 6 letter name with 3 syllables.
To see famous people named Alison, pop culture references for the name Alison and nicknames & variations - visit Nameberry or Wikipedia.Similar to Alison
We've found the following names that sound similar to Alison, sorted by popularity.
Allison / Alexandra / Alexandria / Alejandra / Allyson / Alyson / Alessandra / Alexandrea / Alisson / Alexander /Name statistics
Most parents-to-be know if they want a popular or unique name, and with these charts and data tables you can easily get a better
understanding of how popular or unique this name is.
With a quick glance you can easily tell if this name is increasing or declining in popularity - But note that its current popularity can actually
differ a lot from state to state.
Chart position per year (visualized)
Chart position per state (visualized)
Chart position per year (table view)
| Year | Rank |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 473 |
| 2024 | 469 |
| 2023 | 467 |
| 2022 | 441 |
| 2021 | 464 |
| 2020 | 441 |
| 2019 | 414 |
| 2018 | 401 |
| 2017 | 380 |
| 2016 | 341 |
| 2015 | 342 |
| 2014 | 289 |
| 2013 | 300 |
| 2012 | 275 |
| 2011 | 250 |
| 2010 | 270 |
| 2009 | 226 |
| 2008 | 274 |
| 2007 | 288 |
| 2006 | 270 |
| 2005 | 261 |
| 2004 | 229 |
| 2003 | 232 |
| 2002 | 228 |
| 2001 | 232 |
| 2000 | 232 |
| 1999 | 202 |
| 1998 | 187 |
| 1997 | 171 |
| 1996 | 166 |
| 1995 | 162 |
| 1994 | 153 |
| 1993 | 141 |
| 1992 | 147 |
| 1991 | 142 |
| 1990 | 132 |
| 1989 | 119 |
| 1988 | 113 |
| 1987 | 100 |
| 1986 | 96 |
| 1985 | 97 |
| 1984 | 110 |
| 1983 | 116 |
| 1982 | 111 |
| 1981 | 113 |
| 1980 | 101 |
| 1979 | 102 |
| 1978 | 123 |
| 1977 | 122 |
| 1976 | 117 |
| 1975 | 127 |
| 1974 | 134 |
| 1973 | 146 |
| 1972 | 161 |
| 1971 | 143 |
| 1970 | 185 |
| 1969 | 266 |
| 1968 | 288 |
| 1967 | 285 |
| 1966 | 270 |
| 1965 | 222 |
| 1964 | 226 |
| 1963 | 235 |
| 1962 | 225 |
| 1961 | 231 |
| 1960 | 246 |
| 1959 | 255 |
| 1958 | 282 |
| 1957 | 390 |
| 1956 | 361 |
| 1955 | 382 |
| 1954 | 349 |
| 1953 | 394 |
| 1952 | 417 |
| 1951 | 414 |
| 1950 | 433 |
| 1949 | 456 |
| 1948 | 504 |
| 1947 | 565 |
| 1946 | 555 |
| 1945 | 674 |
| 1944 | 871 |
| 1943 | 926 |
| 1942 | 783 |
| 1941 | 1045 |
| 1940 | 1044 |
| 1939 | 1028 |
| 1938 | 1024 |
| 1937 | 1105 |
| 1936 | 930 |
| 1935 | 1243 |
| 1934 | 971 |
| 1933 | 1329 |
| 1932 | 1151 |
| 1931 | 1340 |
| 1930 | 1462 |
| 1929 | 1698 |
| 1928 | 1732 |
| 1927 | 1510 |
| 1921 | 1795 |
| 1919 | 1716 |
| 1917 | 1232 |
| 1915 | 1585 |
Chart position per state (table view)
| State | Rank |
|---|---|
| Maine | 177 |
| Nebraska | 268 |
| California | 304 |
| Arizona | 359 |
| Alabama | 373 |
| Maryland | 379 |
| Texas | 387 |
| Tennessee | 391 |
| Oregon | 397 |
| Massachusetts | 397 |
| South Carolina | 407 |
| Washington | 416 |
| Wisconsin | 420 |
| Virginia | 433 |
| Oklahoma | 439 |
| Indiana | 444 |
| Kansas | 447 |
| North Carolina | 453 |
| New York | 462 |
| Georgia | 489 |
| Iowa | 497 |
| New Jersey | 500 |
| Minnesota | 504 |
| Nevada | 511 |
| Florida | 532 |
| Arkansas | 561 |
| Kentucky | 573 |
| Colorado | 642 |
| Illinois | 709 |
| Ohio | 713 |
| Pennsylvania | 726 |
| Louisiana | 783 |
| Missouri | 935 |
| Michigan | 1067 |
Even more about Alison
These are some of the common questions you may want to have answered to know if this is the perfect name for your baby.
Is Alison a common or unique name?
By analyzing the number of births and frequency of this name we've determined that it's currently a very unique female name.What is the number of syllables for the name Alison?
3 syllables. Why is this important? One of the things that makes a baby name sound good and have a nice rythm is the number of syllables - and especially the number of syllables along with the syllable count for your last name. A simple rule is to avoid having the same number of syllables in your first, middle and last name.Pronunciation
AL-uh-sun · /ˈæləsən/
Around the world
- Alison (French) — A medieval French diminutive of Alice that became independent.
Spellings and nicknames
- Allison — Doubled-l spelling, the most common modern form.
- Alyson — Y spelling.
- Alisson — Spelling with -ss-, also used for boys.
Nicknames: AliAllie
Famous bearers
- Alison Brie — Actress known for Community and GLOW; born Alison Brie Schermerhorn and known by her first and middle names (b. 1982) Contemporary
- Alison Moyet — Singer, formerly of Yazoo, known for her solo career (b. 1961) Contemporary
Style
ClassicInternationalLiterary
Why parents choose it
Alison reads as a friendly, intelligent classic — literary since Chaucer, familiar since the 1970s. Parents choosing the single-l spelling often want the older, quieter form of the name.
Worth knowing
- Allison with two l's is more common, so this spelling is frequently 'corrected'.
