Allison

Allison is an alternate spelling of Alison, a name made popular in medieval England from Alice. Basically, here’s what happened. The Norman-French brought a wagon-full of continental European names over to England after the Conquest of 1066. Alis was one such name, derived from the Old French Adelais, itself a short form of the ancient German female name Adalheidis (Adelaide), from the Germanic elements “adal” (noble) and “heid” (kind, type, sort). The reason for Adelaide’s enduring popularity in the Middle Ages (and thus the many linguistic off-shoots of her name) is owed to a 10th century saint. Saint Adelaide of Italy was one of the most prominent and well-known women in her day (a medieval celebrity of sorts). Her first marriage was a planned alliance during a time of great political chaos in Italy; however, her husband soon died and his usurper tried to force the young Adelaide (then barely 20) to marry his son. When she refused, she was forced to flee and threw herself at the mercy of Otto the Great of Germany. Otto had other plans – taking advantage of this precarious situation, he went ahead and conquered Italy for himself and then took Adelaide as his wife. Husband and wife were soon crowned Emperor and Empress of the Holy Roman Empire by Pope John XII. Adelais was an Old French form of the name which was shortened to Alis which became Alice in England and eventually Alison (Heidi is a German diminutive also derived from Adelaide). Alison was an extremely common name in England during the later Middle Ages and persisted in popularity until the 16th century when it fell from favor. It never lost its luster among the Scots, however, so Alison will forever hold a certain Scottish appeal. Allison with two “L”s is now the more common spelling in the United States – where the name has endured with the most success.