Alice first name popularity, history and meaning

Find out how popular the first name Alice has been for the last 50 years (from 1974 to 2023) and learn more about the meaning and history.

Meaning of Alice

A feminine name of Germanic origin meaning "noble" or "exalted one".

Popularity of Alice by gender

Based on the last 50 years of data, Alice is more commonly used as a female name, with approximately 100% of people named Alice being female.

For the most recent data in 2023, there were 3,336 female babies and 0 male babies born with the name Alice.

Year Male Count Female Count
2023 0 3,336
2022 7 3,498
2021 0 3,504
2020 0 3,284
2019 5 3,547
2018 5 3,658
2017 0 3,824
2016 0 3,690
2015 5 3,423
2014 5 3,054
2013 0 2,938
2012 5 2,503
2011 0 2,195
2010 0 1,780
2009 0 1,275
2008 0 1,025
2007 0 951
2006 0 847
2005 0 756
2004 0 756
2003 0 700
2002 0 657
2001 0 633
2000 0 669
1999 0 652
1998 0 596
1997 0 578
1996 0 593
1995 0 581
1994 0 596
1993 6 684
1992 0 688
1991 0 724
1990 0 773
1989 14 742
1988 5 820
1987 0 771
1986 0 712
1985 8 669
1984 0 686
1983 6 699
1982 7 747
1981 0 747
1980 0 739
1979 10 780
1978 8 791
1977 0 857
1976 5 956
1975 5 1,055
1974 12 1,182

The history of the first name Alice

The name Alice is derived from the Old French name Alis, which itself came from the German name Adalhaidis. This name can be traced back to the 8th century and is a compound of the Germanic words "adal" meaning "noble" and "haid" meaning "kind" or "sort."

The name Alice has been popular in English-speaking countries since the Middle Ages. It is believed to have been introduced to England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. The first recorded use of the name Alice in England dates back to the 12th century.

One of the earliest historical references to the name Alice can be found in the works of the French poet and philosopher, Alain de Lille (c. 1128 - c. 1202). He wrote a work titled "De Planctu Naturae" (The Complaint of Nature) which featured a character named Alice.

In the 13th century, the name Alice gained widespread popularity in Europe due to its association with the French Queen Alice of Champagne (c. 1192 - 1246). She was the daughter of King Philip II of France and was married to King Hugh I of Cyprus.

Another notable historical figure with the name Alice was Alice of Ibelin (c. 1254 - 1324), who was the Queen of Cyprus and Jerusalem. She played a significant role in the political affairs of the Crusader states in the Eastern Mediterranean.

The name Alice also appears in various literary works, most famously in Lewis Carroll's "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" (1865). The protagonist, Alice, is a young girl who falls down a rabbit hole and encounters a fantasy world filled with bizarre characters.

Other notable individuals named Alice throughout history include Alice Roosevelt Longworth (1884 - 1980), the daughter of U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt; Alice B. Toklas (1877 - 1967), an American writer and life partner of Gertrude Stein; and Alice Walker (born 1944), an American novelist and poet best known for her Pulitzer Prize-winning novel "The Color Purple."

Data source

The first name data used on this page comes from the Social Security Administration (SSA). They've been collecting data on baby names since 1880.

The history and meaning of the name Alice was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Alice, please contact us.

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"Alice first name popularity, history and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on November 14, 2024. http://namecensus.com/first-names/alice-meaning-and-history/.

"Alice first name popularity, history and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/first-names/alice-meaning-and-history/. Accessed 14 November, 2024

Alice first name popularity, history and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/first-names/alice-meaning-and-history/.

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