Meaning: Its source is Alice, an English name meaning "Exalted nature."

Languages: This girl's name is used in English and French.

Nicknames: Alie and Allie

Alternative Spellings: Allison, Allyson and Alyson

Variant Forms: Alisoun, Alysoun, Alisanne and Alysanne

Popularity: The name Alison ranked 228th in popularity for females of all ages in a sample of 2000-2003 Social Security Administration statistics and 347th in popularity for females of all ages in a sample of the 1990 US Census.

This name is highly rated in the 1990 U.S. Census popularity survey of all ages, but after 1960 does not appear in the state data listing the most popular baby names.

Narrative: This originated as a surname, meaning in effect ''Alice's son.''

Generally, family names originated with a male ancestor, as the commonness of patronymics such as Johnson or Anderson attest. However, if a woman headed the household for any reason (such as, her ownership of the family property, the absence of a husband because of death or abandonment, etc.) notable exceptions evolved.

Another example of such a surname is Madison, derived from either Maud or Madeline.