Meaning: Its source is Alice, an English name meaning "Exalted nature."

Nicknames: Allie and Al

Non-English Forms: Alekona

Narrative: Alice, the source of this surname, ultimately derives from a Germanic ancestor of Adelaide, though there is an intermediate form, the Old French Alis.

While it is unusual for surnames to derive from female personal names, compare Allison to Madison, derived from Madde, a nickname for Madeline.

Meaning: Its source is Alice, an English name meaning "Exalted nature."

Languages: This girl's name is used in English.

Nicknames: Alli and Allie

Alternative Spellings: Alisson, Allicen, Allyson, Alyson and Alysson

Variant Forms: Alisoun, Alysoun, Alisanne and Alysanne

Popularity: The name Allison ranked 44th in popularity for females of all ages in a sample of 2000-2003 Social Security Administration statistics, 228th in popularity for females of all ages in a sample of the 1990 US Census and 43rd in popularity for females of all ages in a sample of the 1994 US Census.

This name was popular earlier in the 20th century, then fell off in usage, but has begun making a comeback in recent years.

Narrative: This originated as a surname, meaning in effect ''Alice's son.''

Generally, family names originated with a male ancestor, as the commonness of patronymics such as Johnson or Anderson attest. However, if a woman headed the household for any reason (such as, her ownership of the family property, the absence of a husband because of death or abandonment, etc.) notable exceptions evolved.

Another example of such a surname is Madison, derived from either Maud or Madeline.