| Alice | Amelia | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Noble | Industrious, striving |
| Origin | Germanic | Germanic |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | AL-iss | uh-MEEL-yuh |
| Syllables | 2 | 4 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 1921 (11,955) | 2021 (13,041) |
| In 2025 | 3,547 | 12,699 |
| Trend | Rising | Near its peak |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Alice | Amelia |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 20,743 | 76,108 |
| 2010s | 30,636 | 93,850 |
| 2000s | 8,271 | 33,292 |
| 1990s | 6,466 | 13,559 |
| 1980s | 7,330 | 9,740 |
| 1970s | 11,132 | 5,321 |
| 1960s | 26,954 | 4,824 |
| 1950s | 52,074 | 5,189 |
| 1940s | 72,392 | 5,324 |
| 1930s | 78,968 | 5,958 |
| 1920s | 110,526 | 8,787 |
| 1910s | 85,866 | 8,832 |
| 1900s | 35,232 | 3,664 |
| 1890s | 24,415 | 3,725 |
| 1880s | 17,142 | 2,957 |
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.
Amelia comes from the Germanic amal, meaning “work” in the sense of industriousness and striving. It is sometimes blended with the Latin-rooted Emilia.
Amelia is more popular than Alice today: about 12,699 US babies were given the name Amelia in 2025, compared with 3,547 named Alice.
Alice means Noble (Germanic origin), while Amelia means Industrious, striving (Germanic origin).
In US records, Alice first appears in 1880 and Amelia in 1880, so Alice has the longer recorded history.