Female name
Alison
1,308 births (England and Wales, 1996–2025), peaking in 1996. Expression number: 7.
Origin
From Middle English Alisoun, from Old French Alison, itself from Alis + -on, with Alis ultimately being from Old High German Adalheid or Adalhaid (“of noble kind”).From Wiktionary, entry “Alison”, text under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Do you know a Alison?
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How many babies received it
From the official birth registers.
In England and Wales
Peak in 1996: 181 births. 1,308 births from 1996 to 2025. A name given mostly in the 1990s. It is still given: 84 births from 2021 to 2025.
Source: Office for National Statistics, Baby names in England and Wales, Open Government Licence v3.0.
In the United States
Peak in 1986: 3,000 births. 117,481 births from 1880 to 2025. A name given steadily, decade after decade, from the 1960s to the 2000s. At its peak, it ranked 96th among girls' names in 1986. It really came into use around 1914. It is still given: 3,335 births from 2021 to 2025.
Source: Social Security Administration, Popular Baby Names, public domain.
In Ireland
Peak in 1989: 166 births. 5,474 births from 1964 to 2025. A name given steadily, decade after decade, from the 1960s to the 2000s. At its peak, it ranked 34th among girls' names in 1989. It is still given: 95 births from 2021 to 2025.
Source: Central Statistics Office, Irish Babies' Names, CC BY 4.0.
Elsewhere in the world
The name in the birth records of the 10 countries we track. The period covered varies from country to country.
| Country | Births | Period | Best rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| France | 16,015 | 1900–2025 | 39th in 1993 |
| Argentina | 7,657 | 2012–2023 | — |
| Quebec | 956 | 1980–2025 | — |
| Switzerland | 798* | 1915–2025 | — |
* These are the people living in the country, counted by year of birth, not the number of births.
Source: INSEE, Fichier des prénoms, Etalab Open Licence 2.0; RENAPER, Nombres propios en Argentina, CC BY 4.0 (the registry doesn't record sex); Retraite Québec, Banque de prénoms, CC BY 4.0; Federal Statistical Office, First names of the population by year of birth, free use with attribution.
The numbers of the name
Each letter has a value: A = 1, B = 2… I = 9, then J = 1 again (Pythagorean method). We add them up, then reduce to a single digit, except 11, 22 and 33.
■ vowel · ■ consonant
Expression
All the letters: talents, the way you act.
7
reflection, inner life, seeking
1 + 3 + 9 + 1 + 6 + 5 = 25 → 7
Soul
The vowels: what drives you deep down.
7
reflection, inner life, seeking
1 + 9 + 6 = 16 → 7
Personality
The consonants: what others notice first.
9
humanity, generosity, completion
3 + 1 + 5 = 9
- Digits missing from the name
- 2, 4, 7, 8
- Most frequent digit
- 1 · initiative, independence, beginnings
The meaning of the numbers comes from numerological tradition; it isn't a measure of your personality. A full portrait needs your first and middle names, your last name at birth, and your date of birth. How we calculate
Your name and theirs
The number of each name, and the number of the bond, which comes from adding them together. A symbolic game: what your two names say together, to be read as a metaphor, not as a verdict on your relationship.