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Alice (name)

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Alice
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, illustrated by John Tenniel, is an inspiration for the popularity of the name Alice.
GenderFemale
Origin
Word/nameGermanic, Old French
MeaningOf nobility
Other names
Related namesAlaïs, Adalheidis, Arisu "Alix"

Alice is a feminine given name used primarily in English, French and Italian. It is a shortened form of the Old French Adelais, which is derived from the Germanic name Adalheidis, from the Germanic word elements adal, meaning noble and heid, meaning type. Alaïs is the Old French form of the name; Alys of Vexin was also known as Alaïs.[citation needed]

Alice was the most popular female baby name in Sweden in 2009 and has been among the top 10 names given to girls for the past five years.[1] The name ranks in the top 100 most popular names for baby girls in Australia, Belgium, France, Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales, and Northern Ireland. It ranked as the 326th most popular name for baby girls born in the United States in 2008. Alice ranked as the 51st most common name for women in the United States in the 1990 census. [2] In Japan, it is gaining popularity as "Arisu (アリス).[citation needed]

The name was most popular in the United States in the Victorian era and at the turn of the 20th century. It has been popularized by Alice in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll. It was also popular in the Victorian era due to Princess Alice of Great Britain and Ireland, a daughter of Queen Victoria. In the United States, Alice Roosevelt Longworth, daughter of Theodore Roosevelt, was occasionally known as "Princess Alice" in the press and inspired a song called Alice Blue Gown.

In recent years, the variants Alicia, and Allison and a short form, Allie, have been more popular names in the United States. Allison was the 32nd most popular name for baby girls born in the United States in 2008; Alicia was the 178th most popular name for girls in the United States in 2007 and Allie was the 230th most popular name for girls in the United States in 2007. All three names have multiple spelling variants which are also well-used. Alyssa, the 16th most popular name for baby girls born in the United States in 2008, may sound like a variant, but it is historically of different origin, from the flower Alyssum.

Variants

People

Activists

Entertainers

Authors and Poets

Actors and Filmmakers

Musicians

Royalty

Science and Medicine

Miscellaneous

Fictional characters

Songs about Alice

Notes

  1. ^ Namnstatistik - Statistik från SCB
  2. ^ Behind the Name
  3. ^ "Aliza" (עליזה) means "happy" or "gay" in Hebrew; the use of the word as a female first name was, however, introduced in the 20th Century with the conscious intention to emulate the common European name.
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