Allison

Allison is the American softening of Alison, a Norman French diminutive of Alice that itself descends from the Germanic Adelheidis, nobility. It traveled to England in the Middle Ages with William the Conqueror's retinue, largely slept through several centuries, and was then rediscovered with enthusiasm by American parents in the 1970s, climbing into the top 30 at its peak. It now holds steady around the top 99. Three syllables that move like a waltz, soft throughout. Allison reads as friendly, organized, a touch suburban in the best sense, the name of the girl who runs the group project and remembers everyone's snack allergies without being asked.