Ailis
A feminine Irish name meaning "noble" or "from the noble one".
Name Census estimates that about 225 living Americans carry the first name Ailis. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Ailis today is around 16 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ailis births was 2017 (22 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ailis. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Ailis with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
225
~ 1 in 1,523,353 Americans
Peak year
2017
22 babies that year
Average age
16
years old
2022 SSA rank
#12,278
Tracked since 1990
Census
Ailis in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 256 people with the first name Ailis, which placed it at #32,700 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#32,700
National first-name rank
People counted
256
256 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
73.8% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ailis
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Ailis is White at 73.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (17.2%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Ailis described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Ailis at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White73.8% · 189
- Hispanic or Latino17.2% · 44
- Two or more races4.3% · 11
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.1% · 8
- Black or African American1.2% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 1
Popularity
Ailis: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ailis from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 97 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2010s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Ailis by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Ailis during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Ailis' live
Origin
Meaning and history of Ailis
The name Ailis originates from the Gaelic language, derived from the Old Irish name Ailís, which is the Irish form of the French name Alice. The name Ailís itself is believed to have roots in the Germanic name Adalhaidis, composed of the elements "adal" meaning "noble" and "haid" meaning "kind, sort, or type."
Ailis was a popular name in medieval Ireland, particularly among the Gaelic nobility. It was a common practice for Irish families to adopt and Gaelicize names of European origin, often adjusting the spelling and pronunciation to suit the Irish language. The name Ailis became a part of this tradition, gradually gaining prominence in Irish culture.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ailis can be found in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. In these annals, an entry from the year 1032 mentions an "Ailis ingen Amlaim" (Ailis, daughter of Amhalghaidh), who was the wife of the King of Uí Fiachrach.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Ailis. One such figure was AilisNí Dhalaigh (c. 1200-1275), an Irish noblewoman and poet from County Meath. She was renowned for her contributions to the Irish literary tradition and is considered one of the earliest known female poets in Ireland.
Another prominent figure was Ailis Ní Bhriain (c. 1350-1420), a member of the powerful Ó Briain dynasty in County Clare. She played a significant role in the political affairs of the region and was known for her diplomatic skills and leadership.
In the 16th century, Ailis Ní Chonchubhair (c. 1520-1590) was a notable figure from County Sligo. She was the wife of Tadhg Ó Ruairc, a prominent chieftain, and was known for her patronage of the arts and literature.
The name Ailis also found its way into religious circles. Ailis Ní Dhónaill (c. 1620-1680) was a nun and writer from County Donegal, who is remembered for her spiritual works and poetry.
In more recent times, Ailis Ní Ríordáin (1906-1940) was an Irish language scholar and educator from County Kerry. She made significant contributions to the preservation and promotion of the Irish language and its literature.
While the name Ailis has its roots in ancient Irish history, it has maintained a presence throughout the centuries, carried by individuals from various walks of life, including poets, nobility, religious figures, and scholars. The name's enduring legacy reflects its deep connections to the rich cultural tapestry of Ireland.
People
Ailis + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ailis as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with A
Other first names starting with A with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Ailis: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ailis?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 225 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ailis going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 1,523,353 US residents.
Is Ailis a common name?
We classify Ailis as "Very Rare". It ranks above 75.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 228 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ailis most popular?
The single biggest year for Ailis was 2017, when 22 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ailis is about 16 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Ailis in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 256 people with the name Ailis, or 0.08 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #32,700 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Ailis in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Ailis?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Ailis appears almost entirely female. Of the 257 people counted with this name, 99.6% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Ailis?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Ailis is White at 73.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (17.2%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Ailis most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Ailis in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.8% (189 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Ailis in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Ailis a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Ailis in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Ailis still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Ailis in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Ailis can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people have the name Ailis?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.