Head to head · Girls' names
Allison vs Anna
#103 vs #107 in 2025 · both stepping back from its peak
Allison is a whisker ahead (#103 vs #107 in 2025) and both are stepping back from its peak. The records will not split these two — sound, story and your own last name will.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
The tale of the tape
On the charts, Anna leads 3 measures of 6; Allison leads 2.
Ranks, counts and years are measured in the official US birth record; the classroom and living figures are estimates computed from it. The dot marks the side each measure favours on the charts — more common, not better.
What the records say
146 years of US births, drawn on one scale
Two curves, one scale
Who owned which decade
- 1880s: Allison —, Anna #2 — Anna higher
- 1890s: Allison —, Anna #2 — Anna higher
- 1900s: Allison #1862, Anna #4 — Anna higher
- 1910s: Allison #1966, Anna #7 — Anna higher
- 1920s: Allison #1862, Anna #14 — Anna higher
- 1930s: Allison #1618, Anna #32 — Anna higher
- 1940s: Allison #1123, Anna #74 — Anna higher
- 1950s: Allison #471, Anna #101 — Anna higher
- 1960s: Allison #211, Anna #98 — Anna higher
- 1970s: Allison #94, Anna #82 — Anna higher
- 1980s: Allison #51, Anna #54 — Allison higher
- 1990s: Allison #41, Anna #39 — Anna higher
- 2000s: Allison #42, Anna #23 — Anna higher
- 2010s: Allison #49, Anna #43 — Anna higher
- 2020s: Allison #94, Anna #86 — Anna higher
Anna stood higher in 14 of 15 decades; Anna has held the lead since the 1990s.
Rank by decade
| Decade | Allison | Anna |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | — | #2 |
| 1890s | — | #2 |
| 1900s | #1862 | #4 |
| 1910s | #1966 | #7 |
| 1920s | #1862 | #14 |
| 1930s | #1618 | #32 |
| 1940s | #1123 | #74 |
| 1950s | #471 | #101 |
| 1960s | #211 | #98 |
| 1970s | #94 | #82 |
| 1980s | #51 | #54 |
| 1990s | #41 | #39 |
| 2000s | #42 | #23 |
| 2010s | #49 | #43 |
| 2020s | #94 | #86 |
Average national rank across each decade. A dash means the name sat outside the recorded top of that decade.
Around the world
Allison
Not charting outside the US.
Anna
- France#15
- Canada#51
- Scotland#54
National statistics offices, latest published year.
The names themselves
Meaning, roots, sound and the people who carried each
Where each name comes from
Allison
noble kind, from Alice
Alison began as a diminutive of Alice, which descends from the Germanic Adalheidis: adal 'noble' plus heid 'kind, sort'. Allison is the same name, respelled through the surname.
Adalheidis → Adelais → Alice → Alisoun → Allison
How it traveled
The root is the Germanic Adalheidis, which came into Old French as Adelais and then wore down to Alis or Alice. Norman French added the affectionate ending -on, and Alisoun arrived in England after the Conquest as a name for ordinary women — Chaucer used it for the carpenter's wife in the Miller's Tale and for the Wife of Bath.
Anna
grace, favor
Anna is the Greek and Latin rendering of Hebrew Ḥannāh, from a root meaning grace or favor.
Ḥannāh → Hanna → Anna → Anne → Ann
How it traveled
The Hebrew name Ḥannāh belonged to the mother of the prophet Samuel; when Jewish scholars translated their scriptures into Greek, they wrote it Anna, and that form entered Latin and then all of Christian Europe. A prophetess named Anna appears in the Gospel of Luke, and Christian tradition gave the name to the mother of Mary, which sent it into the calendars of saints and from there into ordinary use in nearly every European language.
Where a reading is contested the note says so — this page does not turn a guess into a fact. The chain is each name's recorded forms, oldest first; the story is its opening, told in full on the name's own page.
Out loud, and in short
Allison
AL-ih-sun
Three syllables, stress on the first. The middle vowel is light, so it can sound like AL-uh-sun in quick speech. No pronunciation difference between Allison and Alison.
- Allie — The most common short form; also given as a standalone name, and shared with Alexandra, Alyssa and Alice.
- Ally — Same nickname, the other spelling; used informally and often kept into adulthood.
- Al — Clipped and casual, used within families more than outside them.
- Alli — A third spelling of the same short form, mostly written rather than heard.
- Also Lissy.
Anna
AN-uh
Two syllables, stress on the first. Much of continental Europe says AH-nah, with a broader first vowel — both are the same name, and speakers switch between them without difficulty.
- Annie — The long-standing English short form, and a registered given name in its own right for well over a century.
- Anya — The Russian diminutive, used independently as a given name in English-speaking countries.
- Ania — Standard Polish diminutive, informal, used at home and among friends.
- Nan — An older English short form from the Ann/Anna family; now mostly heard among earlier generations.
- Also Annushka, Anni.
Who has carried each name
Allison
Allison Janney (b. 1959) — Oscar winner (I, Tonya) and The West Wing's C.J.
Allison Williams (b. 1988) — Girls and Get Out star
Anna
Anna Kendrick (b. 1985) — Pitch Perfect star
Anna Wintour (b. 1949) — Vogue's legendary editor-in-chief
Anna Pavlova (b. 1882) — The ballerina so famous a dessert was named after her
Source: Wikidata — the one source on this page that is not an official agency.
Is it right for you
The differences that decide it, laid out by what you want
Choose by what you want
Choose Allison if you want…
- a name with more sound in itAllison runs 3 syllables, Anna 2
- a newer arrivalAllison entered the US charts in 1908
Choose Anna if you want…
- a name past its most crowded yearsAnna is stepping back from its peak
- a name with fewer syllablesAnna is 2 syllables to Allison's 3
- a name that charts abroad tooAnna is on the national lists of France, Canada and Scotland
- a long American recordAnna was already in use when US records began in 1880
Each line is a measured difference between the two names — a rank, a count, a recorded form — never a judgement of either. Save the one that answers your question; it lands on your shortlist.
The trade-offs, name by name
Allison
Strengths
- Immediately recognizable and pronounceable to English speakers, with no ambiguity about how the sounds go.
- Long documented line back through medieval England to Alice, so it is old without sounding antique.
- Established short forms already in real use — Allie, Ally, Al — none of which you have to invent.
To consider
- Allison, Alison, Allyson and Alyson all exist and all sound identical, so she will spell it out often. The double-L is the American default; outside the US, one L is the safer assumption.
- Allie and Ally arrive at the same nickname from Alexandra, Alyssa, Alice and Alexis, so the short form is far less distinctive than the full name.
- It rose late enough that a great many bearers are adults now rather than children — the name reads current, but it is not new.
Anna
Strengths
- Spelled the same in English, German, Italian, Polish, Russian, Hungarian, Greek and the Nordic languages — no adaptation needed when it crosses a border.
- Everyone can spell it on the first try, and it fits any form field.
- Established short forms already exist: Annie, Anya, Ania, Nan — no need to invent one.
To consider
- Ana, Anne and Hannah are all in circulation and all sound close, so she may spend a lifetime confirming the spelling — usually with one short sentence rather than a struggle.
- In the United States it has a long history behind it, and a great many living Annas were named generations ago. That gives the name real depth; it also means she may meet more grown Annas than young ones.
- Four letters and two soft syllables can blur against a very short surname. Saying the full name aloud a few times settles the question quickly.
Documented properties of each name — how it spells, travels and shortens — not opinions about the child.
With your last name
Say both in full. The notes are facts about letters and sound — a rhyme, a shared initial, the monogram — not a verdict on either name.
Type a last name to hear Allison and Anna in full.
Weighing the whole shortlist? Run the full comparison — up to eight names with your last name, initials, classroom projections and a printable report.
Decide together
Nobody names a baby alone
Still torn between Allison and Anna?
Put both to the vote.
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More than two in the running? Settle it with a bracket or run the full comparison with your last name.
More head-to-heads
Same measures, different pair. Sixty more are dealt daily in the arena.
Lists that carry both names
Every list here names both Allison and Anna — the same style, ranked by the same records.
Allison or Anna — the short answers
- Which is more popular, Allison or Anna?
- Allison, in 2025: Allison ranked #103 with 2,564 babies; Anna ranked #107 with 2,521 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, Allison or Anna?
- Neither is rising. Over the last five years Allison moved down 23 places; Anna moved down 39 places.
- Which is the older name, Allison or Anna?
- Allison entered the US charts in 1908; Anna was already in use when US records began in 1880. On the American record, Anna is the older name.
- How many people are named Allison and Anna?
- About 311,000 people named Allison are estimated to be alive in the US today. About 445,000 people named Anna are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- Will there be other Allisons or Annas in the classroom?
- Allison will almost certainly be the only one in school. Anna will almost certainly be the only one in school.
US figures from the Social Security Administration, 1880–2025; international figures from national statistics agencies. Votes are battle voters on this site, not the birth record. Data & methodology
Keep playing
Sixty more head-to-heads are dealt in the arena every day — or line up Allison, Anna and the rest of your shortlist with your last name in one printable report.
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