Alison

Did you know?

A few things about Alison you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Alison

Alison Brie

American actress and writer (born 1982)

Choose Alison and your child shares a first name with Alison Brie, an American actress and writer. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Alison, like who?” Alison Brie's Wikipedia article is available in 47 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Alison Brie on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Adam Chitayat, CC BY-SA 4.0 (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 2,496 baby girls born in the US in 2025 was named Alison, 644 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Alison would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryAlison first shows up in US birth records in 1905, the first year at least 5 babies got it. It has been in use for 120 years since.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 1986, when it ranked #96. Today it's #476, so it could be due a comeback.
• 🍂TrendAlison has slipped 36 places over the last five years and now sits at #476. Good news if you want a familiar name that fewer kids will share.
• 📍Where it's lovedAlison is most popular in Maine, where it ranks #176, followed by Nebraska (#267) and California (#304). It's in the top 1,000 in 33 states.
• 💬MeaningAlison is a French form of Alice, which means “noble”. Our records link it to English, French and Old German roots.
• 🌍OriginAlison is the #8 most popular Old German girl name in the US. That's out of 23 Old German girl and unisex names in our list.

About the name Alison

Alison is a girl name of English, French and Old German origin meaning “noble”. It has 6 letters and 3 syllables, starting with A and ending in “-son”. US birth records list Alison for girls from 1905 to 2025, in 117 of those 121 years. Its best year was 1986, when it ranked #96 among girl names. In 2025 it ranked #476, with 644 babies.

Origin:English namesFrench namesOld German namesScottish names