Allison Surname Meaning & Origin
What the Allison last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
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Meaning and origin of the Allison last name
Meaning of the Allison last name: son of Alice, or son of Allan. Allison is usually "son of Alice", the popular Norman woman's name, and in Scotland it can also mean "son of Allan". It is unusual among surnames in coming so often from a mother's name. The name is most common in northern England, the Scottish Lowlands and Ulster. A curious detail: Ulster families carried it to Pennsylvania and the Carolinas, and it became common in the American South.
Arms associated with the Allison name
Scottish clansmen traditionally wear a badge drawn from their leader's arms, and Allison families have long had their own clan emblems.
Get your full Allison family history
This is only a glimpse of the Allison story. The full Allison history report goes much deeper into where the name began, who carried it and how the family spread, and it comes with a museum-style painted Allison coat of arms. Get the full Allison report.
Allison name FAQ
What does the Allison name mean?
Son of Alice, or son of Allan. Common variants include Alison, Allinson, Ellison.
Where does the Allison surname come from?
It originates in Scotland, and is also found in the United States, Northern Ireland and Canada.
Is there a Allison coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Allison coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Researched by Herald Lab Research Studio, since 1993. Sources: George F. Black, The Surnames of Scotland (New York Public Library, 1946); Reaney & Wilson, Dictionary of English Surnames; Dictionary of American Family Names (Oxford); US Census Bureau 2010.