Alison (given name)
Alison is primarily a female given name in English-speaking countries. It was originally a medieval French nickname for "Alis", an old form of Alice derived with the suffix "-on" or "-son" sometimes used in the former French nicknames such as Jeanson ("little Jean") or Pierson ("little Pierre"). The Middle English form was Alisoun. The variant spelling Allison is the most common form in the United States. Other variations include Alisson, Allisson, Allyson, Allysson, Alyson, Alysson, Alicen and Alycen, with nicknames Allie, Alley, Alie, Ali, Ally, Aly, Al, Aley and Alli. In Lusophone countries like Brazil and  Portugal, Alison and variant forms are also used as masculine given names. Allison also has separate, disputed roots as a family name. Alison, variant form Alizon, is also a French surname. Popularity. The name is first recorded in Scotland in the 12th century. It was popular until the early 19th century and, spelled Allison, was the 45th most common name given to baby girls in the United States in 2005 (Allyson was #253; Alison, #259; Alyson, #468; Allie, #256; Ally, #656; and Alice, #414). In 1990 in the United States, Allison was the 228th most popular name for women of  all ages; Alison was #347, Allyson, #775; Alyson, #981; Allie, #764; Ali, #2434; and Alice, #51. Alison in any spelling did not enter the top 100 baby names in 2005 in England and Wales. Allison last entered the top 1000 baby names for males in the United States in 1946, when it ranked #968. In the 1910s it ranked from 667 to 981 with an average of #835, and in the first decade of the 20th century, it ranked as high as #927.