Alice

Girl · Germanic, through Old French

Alice

Say it: AL-iss

Try it with your surname

Meaning

From Old French Aalis, a contraction of Germanic Adalheidis ('noble kind').

Certainscholars agree on this meaning.

Common in medieval England, revived in the 19th century, and popular again.

Its wave through time

Fading since the 1900s

In the United States

572,559 babies given this name since 1880
At its height in 1906, about 1 in 70 girls
3,268 babies in 2020

Through the ages

Used by

English French German Italian Scottish American Brazilian

The family of the name

Other spellings: Alys, Alyce, Alis

French	Alix
Spanish	Alicia
Russian	Alisa

Famous bearers

Alice Liddell, inspiration for Alice in Wonderland
Alice Perrers, mistress of Edward III
Alice Chaucer, Duchess of Suffolk

Names worth a look

JanetGirlA pet form of Jane, from the French diminutive Jeannette.Middle Ages · peak 1942

MarthaGirlAramaic marta, 'lady, mistress'.Biblical · peak 1887

JoyceGirlFrom the Breton saint's name Iudoc (Judocus), probably from a Celtic word for 'lord'; in the Middle Ages it was used…Middle Ages · peak 1941

GraceGirlFrom Latin gratia 'favour, grace'.Middle Ages · peak 1890

KatherineGirlFrom Greek Aikaterinē, of unknown origin; the link with katharos 'pure' is a later reinterpretation that changed the…Middle Ages · peak 1887

RoseGirlIn the Middle Ages often a form of the Germanic name Rohese (probably from hrod 'fame' or hros 'horse'), later…Middle Ages · peak 1908

AlyssaGirlA modern form of Alicia or Alice, also associated with the flower alyssum (from Greek, 'against madness'); there is…Modern · peak 1999

AlisonGirlMedieval Norman and Scots diminutive of Alice, from Germanic Adalheidis ('noble kind').Middle Ages · peak 1979

Where this comes from

English poll taxes and lay subsidy rolls (13th and 14th centuries)
National census records of the 19th and 20th centuries
United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source
Medieval European charters and records
The Paris tax rolls of the 1290s
National birth statistics of European countries source
Well-known works of literature
United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source

Meanings and histories are compiled from the study of names and their languages and checked by a second review.

Meanings and histories are drawn from the study of names and their languages, each with a confidence rating; popularity figures come from official birth records. Name histories are a living field: if you know of a correction, we would be glad to hear it.