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Did you know that in the 1881 UK census there were 8511 people with the Allison surname? In that year Allison was ranked number 480 for popularity in the UK.

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"ALISON, ALLISON. (1) usually explained as a metronymic, 'son of Alice,' but more probably it is 'son of ELLIS,' q.v. Lower (s.v. Alison) says: "It may be remarked that the vulgar pronunciation of Ellis in the south is exactly the same as that of the female personal name Alice." (2) In some few cases Alison and Allison may be forms of Allanson. In 1559 a woman Jonet Alysone was also referred to as Jonet Alanesone (Cupar-Angus, n, p. 177, 271). (3) On the other hand, with reference to Scottish Alison or Allison, Mr. Latin A. Morrison in his The History of the Alison or Allison family in Europe and America, Boston, 1893, says that it is "a fact beyond doubt that Alison comes from Alister or Alexander, and, further, that the Alisons are offshoots of the famous clan of MacAlister" (p. 4), and that the origin of the name is due to two sons of Alexander MacAlister of Loupe who with some of their followers escaped to the parish of Avondale, Lanarkshire, during the war of Independence, and there later their name was changed from MacAlister to Alison (p. 18). He further states that "the names Alison, Allison, Alinson, Allinson, and of Elison, Ellison, Elissen, Ellysen, are found thus spelled in the early history of some branches of the present Allison family. They are interchangeably mixed. The name was often spelled Ellison and Allison when referring to the same individual" (p. 5). This may have been so in some instances, but the claim as a whole is, I think, too sweeping. Patrick Alissone del counte de Berewyk rendered homage, 1296 (RR). Peter Alesoun was a witness in Brechin, 1490 (REB., n, 134), Thomas Alesoun appears in Lochtoun, Scone, 1586 (Scon, p. 232), James Allasone was bailie of Ranfrew, 1688 (RFC., 3. ser. xm, p. 243), and Gabriel Alason was bailie of the burgh of Dumfries, 1693 (Retours, Kirkcudbright, 375). Other early spellings are Alesone 1543, Alesoun 1585, Aliesoune 1616, Aliesone, Allasoune, Allisone, and Elisone 1668, Alizon (in Workman MS.), Allasone 1551, Allasoun 1636, Allasson 1671, Allanson 1551; Aillieson, Alisone, Aleson, Allason, Alleson, Allesoun, Aliesoune, Allsoun. (4) Alison as the forename of a woman began to make its appearance about the beginning of the fifteenth century. Miss Yonge (2. ed., p. 405-406) thinks it is from Aloyse (the feminine form of Provensal Aloys), whose correspondence with Abelard was the theme of so much sentiment, and whose fame, brought to Scotland by Scottish Archers in the French service, was the origin of the numerous Alisons found there. The -n probably represents the diminutive ending. Helise Mackcoulogh appears in 1478 (Sc. Ant., in, p. 105). Elison Dalrymple was spouse of Gavin Fullarton, 1514 (Macfarlane, Gaelic C., n, p. 342), Alison Home was prioress of North Berwick, 1524; Alysone or Helysoune Rouche slew her guidson Alexander Cant, burgess of Edinburgh, 1535 (Diur. Occ., p. 19); Allison Allasoune appears in Glasgow, 1554 (Protocols, i), ana Ellesone Tayis appears in Lanark, 1566 (Mill, Plaus, p. 262); Elison Begbie jilted the poet Robert Burns. See also ELLISON. 0 0 ALLISON. See wider ALISON. "_{(The surnames of Scotland. George Fraser Black, 1866-1948)}

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