Total births
116,886
Girls' name · since 1905
Alison
Alison has 116,886 recorded births since 1905 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1980 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #465
- among girls today
- 116,886
- born since 1905
- 1980s
- peak decade
- 97%
- more common than other girls
Alison currently ranks #465 among girls' names in America, with 116,886 babies recorded since 1905.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Alison has been recorded 116,886 times among girls since 1905, currently ranked #465 nationally and more common than 97% of girls, with its heaviest use in the 1980s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1905 to 2025.
- #465 among girls today
- 116,886 born since 1905
- 1980s peak decade
- 97% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Alison is currently the #465 girls' name in America, more common than 97% of girls - 116,886 born since 1905, peaking in the 1980s.
- #465
- among girls today
- 116,886
- born since 1905
- 1980s
- peak decade
- 97%
- more common than other girls
Alison vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#465
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 97% of names given to girls today.
1980s
Peak decade
23% of everyone ever named Alison was born in this single decade.
1980
Single peak year
2,980 babies were named Alison in 1980 - its busiest year on record.
How Alison compares
116,886 Top 2% higher than 98% of 17,726 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Alison's all-time total is 306x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Alison | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 116,886 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 2,980 | 48 | 19,840 |
Alison's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Alison's full recorded timeline at 1967, 85% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 15% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1907, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1980 peak of 2,980 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Alison at a glance
Top 1,000 girls' namePeak year
1980
Current rank
#465
Active since
1905
Alison popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1905–2025
- Peak year (1980)
- 2,980
- Annual births at peak, across 121 years of records
Alison popularity over time - boys
595 total births recorded since 1913 (Alison as boys' name)
Alison by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1980s was Alison's strongest decade.
27,018 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 23% of all-time use.
Alison births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1900s 12
1900s
12 births
- 1910s 134
1910s
134 births
- 1920s 198
1920s
198 births
- 1930s 367
1930s
367 births
- 1940s 1,450
1940s
1,450 births
- 1950s 6,216
1950s
6,216 births
- 1960s
1960s
12,233 births
- 1970s
1970s
22,070 births
- 1980s
1980s
27,018 births
- 1990s
1990s
19,729 births
- 2000s
2000s
13,286 births
- 2010s 10,150
2010s
10,150 births
- 2020s 4,023
2020s
4,023 births
What this shows Peak: 1980s at 27,018 births (23% of all-time use).
How Alison compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Alison's total volume
Alison vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Alison by state
Where Alison concentrates geographically, total births since 1905
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 13,819 | 11.8% |
| #2 | New York | | 11,719 | 10.0% |
| #3 | Texas | | 6,216 | 5.3% |
| #4 | Pennsylvania | | 5,850 | 5.0% |
| #5 | Illinois | | 5,365 | 4.6% |
| #6 | Massachusetts | | 5,353 | 4.6% |
| #7 | New Jersey | | 4,978 | 4.3% |
| #8 | Ohio | | 4,909 | 4.2% |
California share of Alison's total US births 11.8%
Even split
13,819 of 116,886 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Alison appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Alison? ▼
116,886 babies have been named Alison since 1905. It currently ranks #465 among girls. The peak year was 1980 with 2,980 births.
When was Alison most popular? ▼
Alison was most popular in the 1980s decade with 27,018 total births. The single peak year was 1980.
Where is Alison most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Alison are California (13,819 births), New York (11,719 births), Texas (6,216 births).
How long has the name Alison been used? ▼
Records for Alison go back to 1905, giving 121 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Alison? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Alice, Alicia, Alisha, Aliyah, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Alison's data
- Alison's decade-level peak was the 1980s (27,018 total births); usage has since declined to 4,023 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Alisons (13,819 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Alison
Nearby Names Like Alison
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Alison
Alice Girl
#63 588,147 births
Alicia Girl
#438 230,790 births
Alisha Girl
#1143 56,996 births
Aliyah Girl
#237 49,011 births
Alina Girl
#136 45,387 births
Compare Alison side by side: Alison vs Alice Alison vs Alicia Alison vs Alisha
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Alison
Amirah #464
10,863 births · Peak 2024
Gracelyn #466
15,917 births · Peak 2018
Alexandria #463
104,548 births · Peak 1993
Anahi #467
19,359 births · Peak 2006
Annalise #462
17,165 births · Peak 2016
Miracle #468
21,471 births · Peak 2016
Bianca #461
77,564 births · Peak 1991
Brooklynn #469
38,132 births · Peak 2011
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1905–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Alison: #465 Girls' Name - 116,886 Births, Peak 1980." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/alison. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Alison draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.