US Popularity Rank: 942

Origin: Scottish

Meaning: Noble; Exalted

Alison is a gender-neutral name of Scottish orign with German roots, translating to "noble" or "exalted." With a name like this, baby is sure to keep their confidence and honor as high as possible. The big difference between Alison with one L and Allison with two is gender. Allison is used exclusively for girls, while Alison is gender-neutral, mostly in Europe. It’s a diminutive of Alice and a close cousin of Alicia. While Alison comes in second place to Allison in terms of popularity, the one-L version was the first to make it on the baby-name charts in the 1930s. It was a popular name in England and France in the Middle Ages and counts among its bearers Alison Sweeney, who hosted The Biggest Loser but became well known as Sami on Days of Our Lives.