Where does “Alice” come from?
Alice comes from Old French Alis, from Old High German Adalheidis, composed of Old High German elements derived from Proto-Indo-European átta and h₂el-.
Alice (English): popular in England since the Middle Ages
Definitions
- popular in England since the Middle Ages
Ancestry of “Alice”, step by step
Alice traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Old French Alis
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | Alis | — |
| 2 | Old High German | Adalheid | — |
| 3 | Old High German | adal | noble; nobility; noble race |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | aþal | nobility; race |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | aþalą | nature, disposition; nobility, race |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | at-al | family, race |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂el- | to grow, nourish; beyond, other; to wander, roam |
via Middle English Alice
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | Alice | — |