Alice (given name)

Alice

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, illustrated by John Tenniel, is an inspiration for the popularity of the name Alice.
Gender Female
Language(s) Germanic, Old French
Origin
Meaning Of nobility
Other names
See also Alaïs, Adalheidis, Alicia, Alisha, Alisa, Alissa

Alice is a feminine given name used primarily in English and French. It is a feminized form of the Old French female name Alis (older Alais), short form of Adelais, which is derivation from the Germanic name Adalhaidis (see Adelaide), from the Proto-Germanic words *aþala-, meaning "noble" and *haiþjō-, meaning "heath(land), heather"[1] or *haidu-, meaning "appearance; kind" (compare German Adel "nobility", edel "noble", nominalizing suffix -heit "-hood"), hence "of noble character or rank, of nobility". Alaïs is the Old French form of the name; Alys of Vexin was also known as Alaïs.

Alice was the most popular female baby name in Sweden in 2009 and has been among the top 10 names given to girls for the past five years.[2] The name ranks in the top 100 most popular names for baby girls in Australia, Belgium, France, Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales, and Northern Ireland. It ranked as the 172nd most popular name for baby girls born in the United States in 2010. Alice ranked as the 51st most common name for women in the United States in the 1990 census.[3]

The name was most popular in the United States in the Victorian era and at the turn of the 20th century. It has been popularized by Alice in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll. It was also popular in the Victorian era due to The Princess Alice, a daughter of Queen Victoria. In the United States, Alice Roosevelt Longworth, daughter of Theodore Roosevelt, was occasionally known as "Princess Alice" in the press and inspired a song called Alice Blue Gown.

In recent years, the variants Alicia, Allison, and a short form, Allie, have been more popular names in the United States. Allison was the 38th most popular name for baby girls born in the United States in 2010; Alicia was the 220th most popular name for girls in the United States in 2010 and Allie was the 189th most popular name for girls in the United States in 2010. All three names have multiple spelling variants which are also well-used. Alyssa, the 20th most popular name for baby girls born in the United States in 2010, may sound like a variant, but it is historically of different origin, from the flower Alyssum.

Variants

People

Royalty

Authors and Poets

Actresses and Filmmakers

Science and Medicine

Activists

Miscellaneous

Fictional characters

Songs about Alice

Notes

  1. ↑ Albert Dauzat, Noms et prénoms de France, Librairie Larousse 1980, édition revue et commentée par Marie-Thérèse Morlet. p. 6a.
  2. ↑ Namnstatistik – Statistik från SCB
  3. ↑ Mike Campbell. "Behind the Name: Popularity for Alice". Behind the Name.
  4. ↑ "Aliza" (עליזה) means "happy" or "gay" in Hebrew; the use of the word as a female first name was, however, introduced in the 20th Century with the conscious intention to emulate the common European name.
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