Alice (name)

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This article is about the name Alice and people called Alice (given or surname). For other uses, see Alice (disambiguation).
Alice
Alice par John Tenniel 04.png
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, illustrated by John Tenniel, is an inspiration for the popularity of the name Alice.
GenderFemale
Language(s)Old French
Origin
MeaningOf nobility
Other names
See alsoAlaïs, Adalheidis, Adalheide, Adelheide, Alicia, Alisha, Alisa, Alissa, Alitha, Alita

Alice is most often used as a feminine given name, used primarily in English and French; however, it has proven popular in some other languages. It is also used as a surname.

Etymology[]

Alice is a form of the Old French name Alis (older Alais), short form of Adelais, which is derivation from the Old High German Adalhaidis (see Adelaide), from the Proto-Germanic words *aþala-, meaning "noble" and *haidu-, meaning "appearance; kind" (compare German Adel "nobility", edel "noble", nominalizing suffix -heit "-hood"), hence "of noble character or rank, of nobility".[1] Alaïs is the Old French form of the name; Alys of Vexin was also known as Alaïs.[2]

As a surname[]

Alice has been used as a surname in England since the Norman Conquest in 1066. Deriving from the name of the mother of the original bearer of the surname, it is thus a matronymic surname. The first recorded use of the name as a surname was that of Willelmus filius Alis, listed in the Curia Regis Rolls of Bedfordshire in 1214.[3]

Popularity as a given name[]

In 2015 the name appeared in the top 100 most popular names for baby girls in Australia, Belgium, France, Canada, Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales, and Northern Ireland. In England and Wales it was ranked the 24th most popular name in 2015,[4] but it has been less popular in the US until a recent resurgence. Some sources cite the resurgence starting in 2000, others showing an up swing starting in 2010[5] One source attributes this to Tina Fey having named her daughter Alice in 2005,[1] though this is more likely a case of coincidence then causality. In Sweden and Italy it has appeared in the top ten names in recent years.[6]

The name was most popular in the US in the Victorian era and at the turn of the 20th century. It has been popularized by Alice in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll.[1][6][2] It was also popular in the Victorian era due to The Princess Alice, a daughter of Queen Victoria.[1] In the US, Alice Roosevelt Longworth, daughter of Theodore Roosevelt,[1] was occasionally known as "Princess Alice" in the press and inspired a song called Alice Blue Gown.[7]

Variants[]

Early spelling variants of the Anglo-Norman name included Alis, Alise, Allies, Allis, Alliss, Allish, Alais, Hallis and others.[3]

Variants of the given name today include Alicia, Alison, and a short form, Allie, with many spelling variants.[citation needed]

People with the first name Alice[]

Royalty[]

  • Alice of Antioch (c.1110 – after 1136), princess consort of Antioch by marriage to Bohemond II of Antioch
  • Alice of Cyprus (c.1193 – 1246), queen consort and later regent of Cyprus, later regent of Jerusalem
  • Alice Heine (1872–1918), princess consort of Monaco, wife of Albert I of Monaco
  • Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone (1883–1981), member of the British Royal Family
  • Princess Alice of Battenberg (1885–1969), aka Princess Andrew of Greece and Denmark, mother of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
  • Princess Alice of the United Kingdom (1843–1878), Grand Duchess of Hesse and by Rhine, daughter of Queen Victoria
  • Alix of Hesse, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna of Russia, daughter of Princess Alice of the United Kingdom
  • Alice, Duchess of Gloucester (1901–2004), member of the British Royal Family
  • Princess Alice of Parma, Grand Duchess of Tuscany

Authors and poets[]

Musicians[]

  • Alice (Visconti, born Carla Bissi), Italian singer-songwriter
  • Alice (born Song Joo-hee), South Korean singer, a member of Hello Venus
  • Alice Babs, Swedish singer and actress
  • Alice Caymmi, Brazilian singer
  • Alice Coltrane, jazz pianist
  • Alice Cooper, male rock musician (see also The Alice Cooper Show and Alice Cooper Goes to Hell)
  • Alice Coote, British opera singer
  • Alice Deejay, Dutch dance music artist
  • Alice in Chains, American metal band
  • Alice Glass, vocalist in electronic duo Crystal Castles
  • Alice Merton, singer-songwriter
  • Alice Nutter (musician), a member of the British music band Chumbawamba
  • Alice Prin, singer and actress
  • Alice Carter Simmons (1883–1943), American pianist, organist, and music educator
  • Alice Mary Smith, English composer
  • Alice Spooner, keyboardist in English Grime/New Rave band Hadouken!
  • Wolf Alice, English alternative rock band

Actresses and filmmakers[]

Science and medicine[]

Activists[]

Athletes[]

Miscellaneous[]

People with the surname Alice[]

  • Antonio Alice (1886–1943), Argentine portrait painter
  • Beatrice Kamuchanga Alice (born 1997), a long-distance runner from the Democratic Republic of the Congo
  • Georgia Mannion (born 2003), professionally known as George Alice, Australian singer/songwriter
  • , director of Writers SA, South Australia
  • Maria Alice de Fátima Rocha Silva (born 1971), known as Maria Alice, Cape Verdean singer.

Fictional characters[]

As single name
  • Alice, a character commonly featured in cryptography books together with her partner Bob
  • Alice, the eponymous heroine of the Lewis Carroll novels Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass
    • Alice Kingsleigh, a version of the above from the live adaptation Alice in Wonderland (2010)
  • Miss Alice, a main character in Edward Albee’s play originally portrayed by Irene Worth
  • Alice, a yet-to-be-seen character in the anime/manga Rozen Maiden by Peach-Pit
  • Alice, the female protagonist in the manga Pandora Hearts
  • Alice, a character from Sylvain Chomet's animated film The Illusionist
  • Alice, a caffeine-crazed engineer from Scott Adams' comic strip Dilbert
  • Alice, Peter's male pet rabbit in Meg Rosoff's book, Just in Case
  • Alice, Mary Elizabeth's friend in Stephen Chbosky's novel The Perks of Being a Wallflower
  • , a fictional character from The Tribe (1999–2003) played by Vanessa Stacey
  • Alice (Transformers), a character in the 2009 movie Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
  • Alice, a fictional dancer from Konami's Dance Dance Revolution series
  • Alice, a character in the 2012 adventure game Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward initially introduced briefly in Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors
As given name

Notes[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e "Alice: Name Meaning, Popularity, and Similar Names". Nameberry. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b Campbell, Mike (29 May 2020). "Meaning, origin and history of the name Alice". Behind the Name. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b "Alice Name Meaning, Family History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms". houseofnames.com. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
  4. ^ "Home - Baby Names".
  5. ^ Campbell, Mike. "Popularity for the name Alice". Behind the Name. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b "Alice". Oh Baby! Names. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
  7. ^ "Entry for "Alice"". Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford University Press.
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