| Adeline | Alice | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Noble | Noble |
| Origin | Germanic | Germanic |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | AD-uh-line | AL-iss |
| Syllables | 3 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 2016 (4,120) | 1921 (11,955) |
| In 2025 | 3,864 | 3,547 |
| Trend | Rising | Rising |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Adeline | Alice |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 19,006 | 20,743 |
| 2010s | 23,383 | 30,636 |
| 2000s | 5,719 | 8,271 |
| 1990s | 1,180 | 6,466 |
| 1980s | 493 | 7,330 |
| 1970s | 348 | 11,132 |
| 1960s | 532 | 26,954 |
| 1950s | 905 | 52,074 |
| 1940s | 1,619 | 72,392 |
| 1930s | 3,450 | 78,968 |
| 1920s | 9,917 | 110,526 |
| 1910s | 8,985 | 85,866 |
| 1900s | 2,646 | 35,232 |
| 1890s | 1,697 | 24,415 |
| 1880s | 932 | 17,142 |
A French elaboration of Germanic adal, “noble.”
Alice comes from the Old French Aalis, a short form of Adelais (Adelaide), from Germanic elements meaning “noble.” Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland fixed it in the imagination.
Adeline is more popular than Alice today: about 3,864 US babies were given the name Adeline in 2025, compared with 3,547 named Alice.
Adeline means Noble (Germanic origin), while Alice means Noble (Germanic origin).
In US records, Adeline first appears in 1880 and Alice in 1880, so Adeline has the longer recorded history.