[name_m]Hi[/name_m] everyone!
I’ve been looking at names that have been popular in the past, but one that sort-of struck me as an outlier is [name_f]Alice[/name_f].
For reference, according to Nameberry data, it was in the Top 100 from 1880 to 1956, and was in the Top 20 for 48 consecutive years.
It isn’t a Biblical name, and only has a faint link to a [name_u]Saint[/name_u] (St. [name_f]Alice[/name_f] of Schaerbeek could have been [name_f]Adelaide[/name_f], Aleyis, or [name_u]Alix[/name_u] I think and a bit less clear cut and less of a well-known saint like Mother [name_f]Mary[/name_f] or St. [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f] of Hungary or St. [name_f]Margaret[/name_f] of Scotland)
Could the popularity of [name_f]Alice[/name_f] just be due to it’s royal usage and literary references?
But how did [name_f]Alice[/name_f] even get used by Royals in the first place?
I do love the name, and it’s absolutely stunning, which I feel contributed to the endurance of it’s popularity. However, I’m just wanting to know more of the details.
If any namenerds that know more about the history of [name_f]Alice[/name_f] could help me, that would be greatly appreciated - thank you!
I think it probably is due to the [name_u]Royal[/name_u] connection, and I wonder if it’s usage by Royals came from the fact it could be a variation of [name_f]Adelaide[/name_f] - or of [name_u]Alix[/name_u]. There were princesses/queens in [name_u]France[/name_u] with those names before [name_f]Alice[/name_f] became popular, so perhaps that’s why it was used? Maybe because it was means [name_u]Noble[/name_u] too?
[name_f]Queen[/name_f] Victoria’s daughter [name_f]Alice[/name_f] was born in 1843, and the name was probably chosen for its [name_m]German[/name_m] roots since [name_u]Prince[/name_u] [name_m]Albert[/name_m] was [name_m]German[/name_m].
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland was published in 1865, with the heroine named after [name_f]Alice[/name_f] Pleasance Liddell who was born in 1852. Her name was probably inspired by the princess in much the same way that royal baby names now tend to spike in popularity.
It’s a pretty, no-fuss name with a lovely meaning and with the backing of royalty and the sensation of the [name_f]Alice[/name_f] books, I am not surprised it became such a classic 
It became common in England following the Norman conquest, as a result of the influence of Old French, via Aalis. It remained one of the most common names until it started declining in the 16th century - I don’t have a source on why, but one can speculate that it was correlated with the Reformation: Alice being seen as Catholic (due to it being a saint’s name) and French. It was revived in the 19th century along with other Norman and Germanic names like Audrey or Rose. I imagine it was helped by Alice in Wonderland and Princess Alice.
ETA Edward Bulwer-Lytton, best-selling novelist and Secretary of State for the Colonies, published a novel called “Alice, or the Mysteries” in 1838 which almost certainly contributed to the names popularity.
Queen Victoria’s second daughter was called Alice because it was the favourite name of Lord Melbourne, her first prime minister.
Thank you so much! This definitely explains it, thank you! Naming history is so interesting.
I agree, [name_f]Alice[/name_f] is such a beautiful name! And the literary connection would help it’s popularity
Good point!