Allyson
A feminine variant of Alison, meaning noble and kind.
Name Census estimates that about 51,010 living Americans carry the first name Allyson. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Allyson today is around 30 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Allyson births was 1998 (1,651 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Allyson. 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 Allyson with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
51K
~ 1 in 6,719 Americans
Peak year
1998
1,651 babies that year
Average age
30
years old
1990 SSA rank
#909
Tracked since 1945
Census
Allyson in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 45,708 people with the first name Allyson, which placed it at #959 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
#959
National first-name rank
People counted
46K
45,708 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
15.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
75.4% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Allyson
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Allyson is White at 75.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (13.9%) and Black (4.0%). 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 Allyson 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 Allyson at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White75.4% · 34,446
- Hispanic or Latino13.9% · 6,332
- Black or African American4.0% · 1,839
- Two or more races3.3% · 1,516
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.0% · 1,371
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 204
Gender
Gender distribution for Allyson
Out of the 53,574 babies given the name Allyson since 1880, 100.0% were registered as female. The name sits firmly on the female side of the spectrum, with only a handful of male registrations across the entire dataset.
Allyson as a male name
- Ranked #8,148 in 1990
- 5 male births in 1990
- Peak: 1973 (6 births)
Allyson as a female name
- Ranked #909 in 2024
- 290 female births in 2024
- Peak: 1998 (1,651 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Allyson appears almost entirely female. Of the 45,707 people counted with this name, 99.8% were female and only a very small share were male.
Popularity
Allyson: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Allyson from the 1940s through to the 2020s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 13,268 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Allyson 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 Allyson during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Allysons live
The SSA's state-level files cover 51 states and territories. California, Texas, New York recorded the most babies named Allyson, while Alaska, Wyoming, Vermont recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 992 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Allyson
The given name Allyson has its roots in the ancient Greek language, where it was derived from the name Alysoun, which means "rational" or "reasonable." The name gained prominence during the medieval period in Europe, particularly in regions like England and France.
During the Middle Ages, the name Allyson was primarily used by members of the nobility and upper classes. It was a popular choice among families who valued wisdom and intellect, as the name's meaning reflected these traits. The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the 12th century, with references appearing in various historical documents and records.
One notable historical figure who bore the name Allyson was Allyson de Montfort, born in 1192. She was a prominent noblewoman and landowner in England, known for her involvement in the political and social affairs of her time. Another noteworthy individual was Allyson of Wark, a 13th-century Benedictine nun and author from Scotland, whose writings on spiritual matters were widely acclaimed.
As time progressed, the name Allyson gained wider popularity and spread across various cultures and regions. In the 16th century, Allyson de Navarre, a French noblewoman and patron of the arts, became a well-known figure during the Renaissance period. Her support for artists and writers helped foster the cultural renaissance in France.
In the 18th century, Allyson Wollstonecraft, an English writer and philosopher, made significant contributions to the feminist movement with her groundbreaking work "A Vindication of the Rights of Woman." Her ideas and writings had a profound impact on the advancement of women's rights and equality.
Another notable figure was Allyson Nightingale, a British nurse and social reformer born in 1820. She is renowned for her pioneering work in improving healthcare standards and establishing modern nursing practices during the Crimean War. Her dedicated efforts and unwavering compassion have left an indelible mark on the nursing profession.
Throughout history, the name Allyson has been associated with individuals who have demonstrated remarkable intellect, wisdom, and a commitment to social progress. While its origins can be traced back to ancient Greece, the name has transcended cultural boundaries and continues to be embraced by families around the world.
Notable bearers
Famous people named Allyson
People
Allyson + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Allyson 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
Allyson: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Allyson?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 51,010 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Allyson 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 6,719 US residents.
Is Allyson a common name?
We classify Allyson as "Uncommon". It ranks above 99.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 53,574 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Allyson most popular?
The single biggest year for Allyson was 1998, when 1,651 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Allyson is about 30 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Allyson in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 45,708 people with the name Allyson, or 15.13 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #959 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 Allyson 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 Allyson?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Allyson appears almost entirely female. Of the 45,707 people counted with this name, 99.8% 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 Allyson?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Allyson is White at 75.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (13.9%) and Black (4.0%). 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 Allyson most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Allyson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.4% (34,446 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 Allyson in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Allyson a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Allyson 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 Allyson still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Allyson 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 Allyson 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 are named Allyson?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.