Allison History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms 

Origins Available: 
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The Clan from whom the Allison family descends began among the ancient Dalriadan kingdom of the west coast of Scotland. Their name comes from the name for the son of "Ellis" or Ellis' son. Conversely, the surname could be is derived from "Alice" as in "the son of Alice." It is likely though that the name was derived from "Ellis" rather than the female personal name. 1 2

But Black goes on stating there is some dispute as to the origin: "On the other hand, with reference to Scottish Alison or Allison, Mr. L. A. Morrison in his The History of the Alison or Allison family in Europe and America, Boston, 1893, says that it is 'a fact beyond doubt that Alison comes from Alister or Alexander, and, further, that the Alisons are offshoots of the famous clan of MacAlister" (p. 4), and that the origin of the name is due to two sons of Alexander MacAlister of Loupe who with some of their followers escaped to the parish of Avondale, Lanarkshire, during the War of Independence, and there later their name was changed from MacAlister to Alison (p. 18). He further states that 'the names Alison, Allison, Alinson, Allinson, and of Elison, Ellison, Elissen, Ellysen, are found thus spelled in the early history of some branches of the present Allison family. They are interchangeably mixed. The name was often spelled Ellison and Allison when referring to the same individual.' " 1

Early Origins of the Allison family

The surname Allison was first found in the county of Lanarkshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Lannraig) a former county in the central Strathclyde region of Scotland, now divided into the Council Areas of North Lanarkshire, South Lanarkshire, and the City of Glasgow, where they acquired some time before 1300 the territories of their family seat at Loupe. They were descended from Angus Mor MacDonnell, Lord of the Isles, their Gaelic name was MacAllister, and it is difficult through history to distinguish one name from the other.

One of the first clear records of the family was "Patrick Alissone del counte de Berewyk rendered homage, 1296." 1 This is an early record of Patrick's swearing allegiance to King Edward I of England, shortly after his invasion of Scotland.

Continuing, we found "Peter Alesoun was a witness in Brechin, 1490 (REB,, II, 134), Thomas Alesoun appears in Lochtoun, Scone, 1586 (Scon, p. 232), James Allasone was bailie of Ranfrew, 1688 (RPC., 3. ser. XIII, p. 243), and Gabriel Alason was bailie of the burgh of Dumfries, 1693." 1

Early History of the Allison family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Allison research. Another 42 words (3 lines of text) covering the years 1296, 1314 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Allison History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Allison Spelling Variations

Historical recordings of the name Allison include many spelling variations. They are the result of repeated translations of the name from Gaelic to English and inconsistencies in spelling rules. They include Allison, Alison, Alinson, Allinson, McAllister, MacAllister, Ellison and many more.

Early Notables of the Allison family

Notable amongst the Clan from early times was

Allison World Ranking

In the United States, the name Allison is the 495th most popular surname with an estimated 57,201 people with that name. 3 However, in Australia, the name Allison is ranked the 702nd most popular surname with an estimated 5,570 people with that name. 4 And in New Zealand, the name Allison is the 434th popular surname with an estimated 1,547 people with that name. 5 The United Kingdom ranks Allison as 483rd with 13,348 people. 6

Migration of the Allison family to Ireland

Some of the Allison family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 57 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Allison migration to the United States +

Significant portions of the populations of both the United States and Canada are still made up of the ancestors of Dalriadan families. Some of those in Canada originally settled the United States, but went north as United Empire Loyalists in the American War of Independence. The late 19th and early 20th centuries saw the ancestors of many Scots on both sides of the border begin to recover their collective national heritage through Clan societies and highland games. Some of the first North American settlers carried this name or one of its variants:

Allison Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
Allison Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
Allison Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Allison migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Allison Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
Allison Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Allison migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Allison Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Allison migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Allison Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Contemporary Notables of the name Allison (post 1700) +


Suggested Readings for the name Allison +
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