Etymology & Historical Origin of the Baby Name Alicia

The name Alicia is a modern Latinate form of the name Alice. Alice in turn is an anglicized variant of the Old French Adelaide which has Germanic origins. The Germanic “adal” means ‘noble’ and “heid” means ‘kind, sort’ hence the meaning of Alice being ‘noble one.’ Both the French Adelaide and the English Alice were well established in medieval times. The name enjoyed immense popularity in the 19th century thanks in large part to Lewis Carroll’s “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” (1865) and “Through the Looking Glass” (1872) based on his young child friend Alice Liddell. Due to the enduring popularity of these classic children’s books, and the quaintly commonsensical and beloved little heroine Alice, the name is almost synonymous with innocently adventurous little girls. Variations of Alice were soon to follow in the late 19th century and Alicia is one such example. Alicia was the 43rd most popular girl’s name in Spain (2009).

All About the Baby Name – Alicia

Personality

OF THE GIRL NAME ALICIA

The number Eight personality has everything to do with power, wealth and abundance. Somehow, this personality has been blessed on the material plane, but their authoritative and problem-solving traits provide evidence that their good fortunes are not just the luck of the lottery. They are well earned. This is the personality of CEOs and high-ranking military personnel. Eights are intensely active, hard-driving individuals. Success is only meaningful to them after a job well-done.  They are remarkable in their ability to see the larger picture right down to the smallest details, and organize a strategy around success. They then have the ability to direct a group around them toward any goal, and realize individual potential to get the most out of their team.

Popularity

OF THE GIRL NAME ALICIA

The name Alicia dates back to 1880 in America, the first year the U.S. government began tracking naming trends. Back in the late 1800s and early 1900s, Alicia was used quite sparingly. The name would not take off into moderate usage until the 1920s, but its real popularity came in the 1970s. Alicia achieved a spot on the Top 100 list of most commonly used girl names in 1972 and she would eventually become a Top 50 favorite in the 1980s. The name’s peak popularity came in 1984 when Alicia was the 40th most popular girl’s name in America. She would eventually fall off the Top 100 list in 1999 and as we enter into the 21st century, Alicia appears to be losing her luster. Today, she is no longer on the Top 200 list. Nevertheless, names that spawned from Alice (Alicia, Alison, Alyssa) are altogether still quite common. These little girls of “noble birth” have a certain dignified and graceful sound to them. Owing to some of its popularity in America, Alicia (pronounced ah-LEE-see-sah) is also the Spanish-speaking equivalent to the name Alice.

Quick Facts

ON ALICIA

GENDER:

Girl

ORIGIN:

English

NUMBER OF SYLLABLES:

3

RANKING POPULARITY:

320

PRONUNCIATION:

a-LEASH-ah, or a-LEE-see-ah

SIMPLE MEANING:

Noble one

Characteristics

OF ALICIA

Authoritative

Powerful

Tough

Tenacious

Wealthy

Problem-solver

Achiever

Cultural References to the Baby Name – Alicia

Literary Characters

OF THE BABY NAME ALICIA

Alicia is the narrator of “Alicia’s Diary”, an 1887 short story by Thomas Hardy. She is caught in the uncomfortable position of being in love with her sister’s fiancée, Charles, and he with her. Coming up with an improbable plan to deceive the sister, the illicit would-be lovers are dismayed when their deception backfires. Charles marries Alicia’s sister out of honor, but shortly after the ceremony leaves her. After several months have passed, his drowned body is found, an apparent accident. Alicia suspects suicide, of course. In the next few years, Alicia’s sister marries a good man, and Alicia dutifully records the happy ending for her. Alicia and Charles, of course, have no such pretty fate, and Alicia quotes Sir Walter Scott with stunning accuracy: “O what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive!”

Childrens Books

ON THE BABY NAME ALICIA

We cannot find any childrens books with the first name Alicia


Popular Songs

ON ALICIA

What of Alicia
a song by Terry Allen

Alicia Ross
a song by Kathleen Edwards

Alicia Quays
a song by Jamie T [explicit]

Alicia Amnesia
a song by Butch Walker

Alicia's Song
a song by Tfmb

Alicia Beautiful Girl
a song by Jeanne Rose

Alicia - This Song Is Yours
a song by The Bard R. Campbell

Famous People

NAMED ALICIA

Alicia Keys (musician)
Alicia Silverstone (actress)
Alicia Foster (better known as Jodie Foster, actress/director)
Alecia Moore (better known as Pink, singer)
Alicia Bridges (singer)
Alicia Coppola (actress)
Alicia Witt (actress)
Alicia Fox (WWE wrestler)
Alicia Molik (tennis player)
Alicia Morton (actress)
Dame Alicia Markova (English ballerina)

Children of Famous People

NAMED ALICIA

We cannot find any children of famous people with the first name Alicia

Historic Figures

WITH THE NAME ALICIA

We cannot find any historically significant people with the first name Alicia