Editors’ note: This post was originally published on January 8, 2009. It was substantially revised and re-posted on October 21, 2013.
The most famous bearer is a fictional girl who went chasing rabbits, but today she’s being given to more and more real girls, too.
Thanks to Nessa for suggesting our Name of the Day: Alice.
Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland was published in 1865. At the time, Alice was well established:
- The girl who inspired Carroll’s stories was named Alice Liddell.
- Queen Victoria called her third child, born in 1843, Alice Maud Mary. It is said that Lord Melbourne, mentor and later prime minister to the queen, suggested the appellation.
- It had been in use among aristocratic families dating back to the Middle Ages, when it was worn by royals in Cyprus and Antioch.
- Alice was also the name of US President Theodore Roosevelt’s wife and firstborn daughter.
She was a Top Ten sensation in the nineteenth century, and remained in the US Top 25 into the 1930s.
Then along came Alice alternatives, and into the 1990s, names like the tailored Allison, the romantic Alyssa and Alicia and even the cutesy Allie all sounded more current.
After all, a generation of parents grew up with two Alices on television: the housekeeper on The Brady Bunch and the waitress in Alice. There was also Arlo Guthrie’s 1967 song “Alice’s Restaurant” and, in the 1970s, the theatrical rock star Alice Cooper – born Vincent.
No wonder then, that in the 1990s, she ranked in the 400s, and seemed headed for obscurity. But in the early 2000s, Alice started to climb. In 2009, she ranked #258. By 2012, Alice stood at #127 – her most popular since the 1950s.
Some of the credit goes to 30 Rock’s Tina Fey, who named her daughter Alice Zenobia in 2005.
She’s also rich in history. All of the Alice names trace back to the Germanic Adalheid, and all of her many variants:
- There was a tenth century Saint Adelaide, and later a nineteenth century queen.
- Aleydis and Alix were both worn by a thirteenth century saint. Alix was the given name of the future last Empress of Russia, Alexandra.
- Alys and Alaïs can be found on a twelfth century French princess.
- Other languages favored Aliz, Ailis and Adelaida.
- Unusual nicknames include Elke, Heidi and Aleit.
Creative and talented women have worn the name in recent years. Actress Ali McGraw is an Alice. There’s silent film star and Oscar winner Alice Brady. Writers include Alice Sebold, Alice Walker and Alice Hoffman. Alice Munro won the 2013 Nobel Prize in Literature.
She’s a suffragette name, too.
Perhaps her strongest selling point is the enduring Lewis Carroll tale. The literary original has inspired many an adaptation, from Disney’s 1951 classic, to Tim Burton’s 2010 re-imagining. You’ll find the Mad Hatter’s spinning tea cups at every Disney park. She’s a familiar heroine world-wide.
If you’re looking for an easily recognized name with plenty of history, feminine but frills-free, Alice should appeal. The literary and Disney associations are a nice touch, but this one would still feel both gentle and strong without the fictional character. She could be an appealing substitute for Ella or Emma, Abigail or Grace – though she’s on track to be just as popular in a few more years.
I think that the popularity of the American McGee’s Alice (2000) video games and the Resident Evil movies (Mila Jovovich is fantastic as the hero Alice – the first movie was released in 2002) helped lift this from it’s daggy TV image and give it a spunkier vibe. Probably helped a lot of guys agree to using it for their daughters 🙂
I love the Resident Evil movies and Alice in Wonderland is one of my favourite stories, so I really love that the name Alice manages to blend sweet and charming with strong and cool for me
A nice point about Resident Evil, Blue Juniper. After all, Mila Jovovich helped boost Lilou in France, right?
One of my favourite names for a girl – sweet, yet sensible, pretty but practical.
My mother really wanted to name me Alice and my father wanted Charlotte. Their compromise was Olivia, and given my current ranking of 4 on the top 1000, I wish I would have been Alice.
My Name Is Alice And I Hate It So Much Some People Nickname Me Ally Ally andro like The Song:( I try to presuade them to call me my initals (AJ) and it sounds much better:) i might change my name in the future x but still a good name but just doesnt match my personality. Destiny is muhc better x
someone mentioned hearing that Alicenne was a form of Alison (french form), since Alison is a form of Alice, thought I’d post here. Any way to confirm or refute this?
I was going to be called Alice until a week before I was born. Thats when my dad decided he no longer liked the name and instead I was called Emma. I, presonally, wish that I had been called Alice, because I find Emma is a bit of a boring and slightly overused name. Luckily, my full name is Emma Alice Lynch but I would have been much happier having Alice as a first name, mainly because middle names aren’t really important and are rarely used.
Oh how I wish Alice was my first name ='(
Aliki is also another cute variant of Alice..!
I like Alice. It’s simple, pretty, and classy without trying too hard to appear so (unlike many surnames used as first names for girls). I would definitely consider Alice as a middle name if I have another daughter.
My daughter’s name is Alice Juliet. She is three years old, and as spunky as she can be. My family was appalled when they heard her name when she was born, because the trendy names reign in my area. Luckily it has grown on everyone.
Oooh … Alice Juliet is a gorgeous combination! Unexpected, and yet perfectly paired.
What about Chaucer’s Alisoun? Is there a relation to that name?
Maybe. Alison is part of the Alice/Adela/Adelaide cluster, all of which were common in different forms at different points in the Middle Ages. Alison appears to be a diminutive form of Alice, common(ish) among the Normans. (I say ish because I haven’t found any statistics.)
But if you flip through this Chaucer Name Dictionary: http://www.columbia.edu/dlc/garland/deweever/menu.htm, it suggests that it might be related to aleison, from the mass. I’m assuming that’s Kyrie Eleison – Lord, have mercy.
It also suggests a second origin, from an Old French name meaning “delight.” I can’t find anything else to suggest that’s true, but I’m not a Chaucer scholar.
The funny thing about Alison is the -son ending. Other female Norman diminutives from the same era exist, but they tend to be be -ot/-ote/-ota and -in/-ine/-ina. There’s nothing saying an unusual form couldn’t be out there, but the idea that the spelling was altered because of similarity with another word seems plausible.
My sister and I – like you, Emmy Jo – grew up pretty much obsessed with Alice in Wonderland & Through the Looking glass and all of that, so she’s been one of my favorites for years! I love her rather subtle contrasts of entirely grounded, bouyancy, class, kindness and zest all into one little name!
My parents considered it for me too… but they were set on having my mn as Anais – could you imagine: Alice Anais?? Waaay too confusing! And it’s funny with the associated names: Aleydis, Alais, Alix & Heidi are all family names for me!
I think Alice is quite charming, would not be surprised if it gets more popular. Classic, stylish, retro, feminine and goes well with more popular names of that type. I do like the names Alicia and Alison. Alais, Alys, Alix.. those sound interesting.
Lola, that’s funny! I know lots of people who have been named after songs – mostly girls called Michelle – but you’re the first I’ve heard to be NOT named after a song. 🙂
A friend of mine has a sister called Alice. Their parents were new to the US and wanted to give their children American names. (They’re from China.) Alice in Wonderland was one of the few English languages characters they knew, so their daughter became Alice. I’ve always loved that story – and quite like the name!
I think Alice is going to rise, at least in the US. As you say, Emmy Jo, she just fits in so well. And if Alice ever feels that her name is too dated, there’s always the easy nickname Ali, which fits right in with trendier girls’ names.
I’m a huge Alice in Wonderland fan (both the book and the Disney movie) — my sister and I can often be found quoting lines to each other. While Alice isn’t in my personal top 10, it’s a name I really like.
Alice has an interesting feel. She’s not very popular at all the U.S. right now, which is a plus for parents who want to pick a name that not everyone else has. Because she was so popular through the 30’s, though, and was well-known from TV after that, she has the possibility to sound a bit dated to some people (or cute and retro, depending on who you ask). However, she’s also a classic from Victorian times and before, which keeps her from sounding too dated (and makes her feel like she could be ready for a comeback).
She fits both with Victorian names like Charlotte, Cora, Eleanor, and Louisa but also with “retro” names like Betty, Dorothy, Virginia, and Hazel.
She’s such a sweet thing, is Alice. How many names are as digified yet comfortable, old school yet totally wearable as she is? For me, she performs a great balancing act – having just the right mixture of femininity and familiarity ie. quite enough but not too much of either.
I wasn’t aware that she might be on the rise as her usage in the UK is fairly set around the #50 mark. But, now that you bring it to my attention, it does make sense and I can definately see the parent of an Emma, Ava, Grace or Sophia considering her (as examples).
I absolutely adore her quiet, charmingly bookish, unpretentious simplicity and like Lola, would definately consider her as middle name material, maybe even as a first name…
I really like Alice; it just has this cool/modern feel as well as a tea party vibe.
All the literary connections- from “Alice in Wonderland” to the women Alice writers- give it such a bookish vibe too.
Funny, If Arlo Guthrie hadn’t popularised “Alice’s Resturant” in 1967, I would be Alice, instead of Laura/Lola! It’s what turned my Pop off the name, much to my mother’s dismay. So I’ve had a soft spot for Alice forever and am looking at incorporating it into this last child’s name, should it be a girl. It got bypassed for Josie, because it didn’t fit for either of us, with Josephine. Neither of us find it appealing enough to use up front but in the middle, to honor my thwarted Mom? Yeah.
All those lovely Alice women, definitely make the name a lot more than a Disney name, to me anyway. Alice is lovely, warm, engaging, sweet & very feminine. All in all, a perfect winner of a name!
Alice is a nice enough name… if only I could get the picture of the disney version of Alice from popping into my head the moment I hear the name… But it is a good name and does sound less frilly to me than Alyssa or Alicia.