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The history of our language revels that double use of the letter "l" would emphasize the vowel just prior to the doubled letter.

This message was edited 6/29/2017, 3:58 PM

I do think it sounds dated. I know two under the age of 7 and both times I've thought it a bit odd due to the dated-ness. Although the second one is named after her great grandfather who had recently passed away, so that made a bit more sense.

I would love it for a boy. I've never been much of a fan of it for a girl (I'm not a real stickler for the -son ending needing to be masculine, I just don't usually care for it on a girl).

I think it would sound dated in the UK. At one point we had four Alisons in my office. They'd all be late 30s to mid 40s. Saying that, I don't mind the sound of it. If I'd had a child in the 70s maybe I'd have considered it but I wouldn't now.

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For some reason Allison looks even more dated to me.

Alison or Allison does sound dated, but it's still lovely. I prefer Alice, but Alison is nice too, and I like Allie as a nickname.

Alison is the usual spelling in the UK, & Allison is a surname. I like it too, but it's definitely dated here - I've never met or heard of a young one. It was in the top 100 from the 1950s to the 1980s and peaked in the 60s, so most Alisons are middle-aged, and older ones aren't uncommon. I'm surprised it ranks so high in the US.

I can tell you right now: Allison is more popular due to "Allie / Ally" being a nickname. I happen to have a younger cousin named Alison, who goes by "Ali" (pronounced the same way - so like the actress Ali Larter), and I won't deny that the first time I read it I pronounced it like Muhammad Ali.

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Allison also fits in with the current trend of "-yn / -lyn" names for girls, as does Madison and all its variants. So I can see why it is still popular, and can avoid becoming "dated" due to its longevity.

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The name itself is nmsaa, though. I don't like using names ending in -son as feminine names.

It's a bit bland and I find it really 70s/80s dated. I also don't get why it is still common, I guess because people want to use Ally. I also really dislike Allison. Alison looks nice and balanced but Allison looks really odd to me. Alison is okay but I really dislike Allison. I guess people use Allison because it leads more directly to Ally (double L) than Alison.

I like the name. I rarely see or interact with children, so Allison / Alison would not seem "dated" to me in any way; I know or have known quite a few ladies of my own approximate age by this name.

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Some will like or prefer to call Alison - Alice or other variation, while some may dislike Alice--etc, so doubling the letter "l" could also be to dissuade the use of these variants - we have "Allie"?; some however may just prefer to see the two letters.

It's nice but I think it sounds really dated. I think I like Alice or Alicia better.

Not nearly as dated as, say, Sandra or Patricia. Or Tamsin or Lisa!

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I like both Alice and Alison, though I'd never be able to use Alison because of my late MIL's late sister, who lives on in infamy. And I've used Alice for a cat, very successfully - I don't think Alison is remotely feline, or animally in general. For humans, it is very pretty and straightforward.

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As for Allison, it's probably one of the early lnfns. And the spelling regularly floors me, just like Hillary instead of Hilary. And, now I come to think of it, Allan instead of Alan. But they all look so much tidier with a single L.

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Ooh, just remembered: a friend's father was named Phillipus! Not sure if the mistake was his parents' or the clerk who wrote it down. And when they had a son, there was a lot of discussion about whether to name him Philippus or Phillipus, and she argued vehemently in favour of Philippus (she was learning Latin at the time and loving it) but she lost, and still shakes her head sadly whenever she writes her brother's name.

I like it but have actually always preferred Allison, Alyson or even Allyson (but that's a bit much). I've always felt like Alison was missing a letter or something, haha.

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I'm also surprised Allison is still so popular, I haven't heard it on a child in years! But it's a nice name so I'm happy to know it's still used. Amongst the Avas, Emmas and Bellas - Alison sounds refreshing and I wouldn't think of it as dated at all. More like, "oh, I haven't heard that in awhile but it's nice".

This message was edited 6/26/2017, 7:50 PM

If I think about it, I like it well enough. I prefer it spelled Allison, but I can see how Alison maybe looks a bit more refined and classy. Either way though, I'm not crazy about it. I've known a lot of Alison/Allison/Allysons so I'm kind of indifferent to it. I much prefer Addison.

I don't like it. I just don't. I never have. I can't come up with any reasons really, other than I don't think it's pretty.

I love Allison, and I prefer that spelling but don't mind Alison or even Allyson. I don't think it sounds dated at all, and I know a little Allison. I think it's a modern classic, or is on its way to being one. Much prettier than Alice.

I really like Alison!
(and not so much Allison)
A few years ago my son had a friend named Alison. She'd be 9 now. Her family was from ... uh, were they Czech? I don't remember, something in that neighborhood. Her brother was George. It didn't seem really dated to me - I think its popularity has been long-and-slow so that it won't become really strongly dated. Like Joanna.