---

Have you ever wondered about the meaning behind your name? For me, the story of why my parents called me Alison is a mix of TV influence, family connections, and a little bit of 60s culture.

My mum first heard the name Alison from a TV series she watched in the 1960s called Peyton Place. In the show, Alison was actually a man’s name—spelled with two L’s, which is still quite common in the United States. My dad liked it for a different reason: he saw Alison as a modern version of Alice, the name of an aunt he had always admired. Together, they decided it was the perfect choice.

Growing up, as an older Millennial, the name felt right for the times. New housing estates were turning into numbered avenues, cinemas expanded into multiplexes, and Hollywood culture seeped into everyday life in the UK. Alison became a popular girl’s name in the 80s and 90s, and I wasn’t alone—there was even another Alison in my primary school class. I can still remember showing up to a gathering in my favourite vintage T-shirts, the kind with faded logos and bold prints that made you feel like you stood out, even if there were three other Ali’s in the room.

Like many kids, I didn’t always go by my full name. My brother Craig, just learning to talk, shortened it to “Ali,” and that nickname stuck all through school and into work. Along the way, I collected a whole list of nicknames—Birdsnest (for my messy hair), Dougal (again, the hair), Scally-Ali, and even Chemical Ali during my wild university years. Each name reflected a different stage of life.

Now in my mid forties, most people call me by my full name again—Alison. Sometimes I miss the fun, informal “Ali” days, the wild hair, and even those vintage tees that made me feel free. But names evolve with us. That’s the beauty of them: they’re not just labels, they’re stories of where we come from and who we’ve become.

---

https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-4000887400212447