girls' name ★ peaked 1990

Alyson

Meaning Alyson is a given name, a variant form of Alison Gender Girl Rank 2025 #1,388 Trend ↓ Falling 30%

Alyson is a given name, a variant form of Alison.

Rank 2025
#1,388
among girls · ↓156 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
157
named Alyson · -18% vs 2024
How common
1 in 10,237
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1990
741 babies
All-time total
29,740
#839 all-time among girls
First recorded
1944
in Social Security records

Alyson popularity over time

29,740 babies have been named Alyson since 1944, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.130.250.380.518801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
GirlsBoys

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – – – –
1890s – – – – – –
1900s – – – – – –
1910s – – – – – –
1920s – – – – – –
1930s – – – – – –
1940s 118 – 118 12 – #1,629
1950s 585 – 585 59 +396% #994
1960s 1,412 – 1,412 141 +141% #737
1970s 3,367 – 3,367 337 +138% #429
1980s 5,564 5 5,569 557 +65% #346
1990s 6,614 – 6,614 661 +19% #358
2000s 6,397 5 6,402 640 -3% #444
2010s 4,444 – 4,444 444 -31% #480
2020s (to 2025) 1,229 – 1,229 205 -54% #1,028

Where Alyson is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 girls Implied rank
2026 147 0.09 outside top 500
2027 139 0.09 outside top 500
2028 132 0.08 outside top 500
2029 127 0.08 outside top 500
2030 122 0.08 outside top 500

Where Alyson is most popular

Girls named Alyson per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.123 per 1,000. Strongest in Arizona, Texas, and California.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are girls named Alyson born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Girls 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Arizona 36 0.257 +109%
Texas 194 0.241 +96%
California 154 0.183 +49%
Washington 26 0.180 +47%
Florida 69 0.161 +31%
New Jersey 27 0.150 +22%
Georgia 33 0.145 +18%
New York 52 0.131 +7%
North Carolina 25 0.110 -11%
Ohio 26 0.110 -11%
Oregon 7 0.108 -12%
Kentucky 9 0.105 -14%
Pennsylvania 20 0.085 -31%
Illinois 19 0.083 -32%
Tennessee 12 0.076 -38%
Missouri 6 0.050 -59%
Wisconsin 5 0.049 -60%
Colorado 5 0.045 -64%
Michigan 8 0.044 -64%
Virginia 5 0.029 -76%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Indiana – – –
Kansas – – –
Louisiana – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Minnesota – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Utah – – –
Vermont – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Alyson

Alyson is uncommon for girls in the United States, ranked #1,388 in 2025 with 157 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1944, 29,740 American babies have been named Alyson. Its peak came in 1990, when 741 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1990s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Alyson stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Alyson?

The median living Alyson is about 29 years old; half are between 18 and 41. An estimated 29 thousand people named Alyson are alive in the United States today.

median 29 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Alyson year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 157 #1,388 – –
2024 191 #1,232 – –
2023 200 #1,199 – –
2022 201 #1,199 – –
2021 247 #1,028 – –
2020 233 #1,063 – –
2019 281 #939 – –
2018 305 #887 – –
2017 326 #832 – –
2016 356 #799 – –
2015 419 #680 – –
2014 496 #594 – –
2013 498 #577 – –
2012 555 #541 – –
2011 620 #480 – –
2010 588 #510 – –
2009 642 #480 – –
2008 654 #483 – –
2007 595 #524 – –
2006 668 #472 – –
2005 652 #470 – –
2004 658 #456 5 #11,430
2003 675 #444 – –
2002 647 #447 – –
2001 607 #456 – –
2000 599 #463 – –
1995 662 #396 – –
1990 741 #358 – –
1985 549 #410 – –
1980 478 #447 – –
1975 346 #513 – –
1970 229 #688 – –
1965 182 #738 – –
1960 102 #1,063 – –
1955 57 #1,334 – –
1950 30 #1,722 – –
1945 7 #3,685 – –
1940 – – – –
1935 – – – –
1930 – – – –
1925 – – – –
1920 – – – –
1915 – – – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Alyson

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Alyson Hannigan Alyson Hannigan American actress and television presenter (born 1974) Contemporary
  2. 2 Alyson Stoner Alyson Stoner American actor, singer, and dancer (born 1993) Contemporary
  3. 3 Alyson Reed American dancer and actress b. 1958 · Contemporary
  4. 4 Alyson Noël Alyson Noël Writer b. 1965 · Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Alyson, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Alyson?

The median living Alyson is about 29 years old. Half of all living Alysons are between 18 and 41 years old.

How many people named Alyson are alive today?

An estimated 29 thousand people named Alyson are alive in the United States, based on 29,740 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Alyson mean?

Alyson is a given name, a variant form of Alison.

How popular is the name Alyson in 2025?

Alyson ranked #1,388 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 157 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Alyson?

29,740 babies have been named Alyson in the United States since 1944, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Alyson most popular?

Alyson peaked in 1990, when 741 newborns received the name.

Is Alyson a boy or girl name?

Alyson is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Alyson rising or falling?

Alyson is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Alyson become more popular?

Alyson is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 122 girls named Alyson in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Alyson?

Well-known people named Alyson include Alyson Hannigan (actor), Alyson Stoner (actor), Alyson Reed (actor).

Names like Alyson

Names that sound and feel close to Alyson: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Alyson with similar names → More names starting with A →