girl's name
Alice
AL-iss
- Origin Germanic
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 5
- Popularity Top 100 (US)
- Births on record 873,777
the United States
#65
2025 births
Alice is a girl's name of Germanic origin meaning "noble," arrived at by a long contraction of Adelaide. The Germanic Adalheidis became the Old French Adelais and then Aalis, which English took as Alice.
- Alice is a name of Germanic origin.
- Peaked in 1921, when 11,990 babies were given the name.
- After peaking in the 1920s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival.
- Today about 1 in 935 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Alice over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 17,198 |
| 1890s | 24,515 |
| 1900s | 35,355 |
| 1910s | 86,117 |
| 1920s | 110,911 |
| 1930s | 79,366 |
| 1940s | 72,651 |
| 1950s | 52,230 |
| 1960s | 27,049 |
| 1970s | 11,184 |
| 1980s | 7,370 |
| 1990s | 6,472 |
| 2000s | 8,271 |
| 2010s | 30,661 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 20,756 |
What Alice means
Alice means noble, or of noble kind, inherited from the Germanic adal, meaning noble, and heid, meaning kind or sort. The meaning survived intact through several centuries of the name being worn down to two syllables.
Where Alice comes from
Alice descends from the Germanic Adalheidis, from adal, noble, and heid, kind or type — the same name that gives English Adelaide by a different route. Old French contracted it to Adelais and then Aalis, and Norman usage brought that form to England, where it became Alice. It was among the most common English names of the medieval period, faded, then returned in the nineteenth century, helped considerably by Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland in 1865, written for Alice Liddell. Adelaide and Alice are therefore the same original name, one preserved nearly whole and the other compressed almost past recognition.
Alice in use
Alice and Adelaide are the same Germanic name — one kept its syllables, the other lost most of them.
How popular is Alice?
In 2025, Alice was given to 3,547 babies in the United States, ranking #65 that year. It is one of the most popular names in the United States.
Where Alice is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Alice
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Alice also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Alice over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
3 nicknames for Alice
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Alice in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Alice
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Alice — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Alice
What does the name Alice mean?
Alice means "noble," from the Germanic Adalheidis.
Is Alice related to Adelaide?
Yes. They are the same Germanic name; Alice is the heavily contracted French form.
Is Alice from Alice in Wonderland?
The name is medieval, but Lewis Carroll's 1865 book — written for Alice Liddell — revived it considerably.
How popular is the name Alice?
In 2025, Alice was given to 3,547 babies in the United States, ranking #65 that year. It is one of the most popular names in the United States.
Is Alice a girl's or a boy's name?
Alice is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Alice?
Alice has 2 syllables.
When was Alice most popular?
Alice peaked in 1921, when 11,990 babies were given the name. After peaking in the 1920s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival.
What are the nicknames for Alice?
Alice is usually shortened to Ali, Allie and Ally.
Is Alice a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Alice currently ranks #10 in the United States. After peaking in the 1920s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.