Share Info, Save Names, Get our Newsletter and Access Powerful Tools
Sign Up Now or Click Here to Find Out More

Alicia

Pronunciation: ə-LEE-shə, ah-LEE-cee-ə (key)

Looking for more names like Alicia? Get Name MatchMaker & more Expert name-finding tools!

Origin of the name Alicia:

Variant of Alice, a name that has evolved through a series of variants of the Germanic Adalheidis, a compound name composed of the elements adal (noble, nobility) and heid (kind, sort): hence, "noble one." Adalheidis was contracted to Adalheid, which the French changed to Adelaide, then contracted to Adaliz, and contracted yet again to Aaliz, Alia, and Alix. The English then changed the spelling to Aeleis, Alys, and eventually to Alice.

From A World of Baby Names by Teresa Norman. Buy the book

Does Alicia sound...

No Way
Definitely
No Way
Definitely
No Way
Definitely
No Way
Definitely
No Way
Definitely
No Way
Definitely
No Way
Definitely
View all ratings

Sibling Names for Alicia...

Do you know any real life Alicias?
What are their siblings named?

Reader Contributions

Contribute to, or edit, this collection of community wisdom on the name Alicia!

Comments and insights on the name Alicia: | Edit

This name can also be pronounced a-LISH-a.

My name is Alycia, pronounced "Ah-lee-sha", like Alicia Keys, and "Pink" Alicia Jones. I now live in England, and where people say "A-lis-ee-ah" when they see my name written down. The British pronunciation makes sense as the name is derived from Alice. I prefer the British way, and allow people to call me that.

Personal experiences with the name Alicia: | Edit

My father chose my name. He liked the Russian ballerina Alicia Markova, and named me after her. I have never especially liked my name. It always felt way too fancy for me, but I've never made a serious attempt to change it.

My mom is named Alicia (pronounced ah-lee-see-ah), and is of Cuban heritage. She grew-up in the United States and has always been frustrated by how often it's mispronounced here. Other than the spelling and mispronunciation frustrations, I think it's a lovely name.

As a child, I was very frustrated with having my name (ah-lee-sha) constantly mispronounced. I got lots of compliments when people heard it, but a garbled mess when they read it. It's bound to happen, since there are 3 correct pronunciations. The most difficult is when someone already knows an Alicia who uses a different pronunciation - those folks seem to have a very tough time adjusting. When I was in high school, I wanted to change the spelling of my name to Aleasha to make it clearer. As an adult it bothers me less, but I do still correct people every time. When I lived in L.A., everyone assumed the Spanish pronunciation, which was at least nice that it was consistent, but keep that in mind if you live in an area with a large hispanic population and plan to pronounce the name differently. Sidenote - Alicia is the example Bruce Lansky uses in his name books as a warning against names that are hard to pronounce (does the middle syllable rhyme with fish or leash?).

My name is Alicia (A-lis-ee-ah) but I get the Ah-lee-sha pronunciation most often here in Australia. Hard to say, it has turned me off giving my children a 4 syllable or mutli-pronuncable name. Perhaps plain Alice would have been easier. But I like my name because I rarely meet someone with the same name and when I do it's almost always pronounced differently. I agree with the comment above that if someone already knows an Alicia with a different pronunciation they have a hard time making the switch when they meet me. I've enjoyed travelling in Spanish speaking countries where my name is seen as easy to pronounce.

Nicknames for Alicia: | Edit

Ally

Ali, Licha, Alice

Lish, Lishi, Alise

LiLi Leesha

Lee-Lee

Lacey

Meanings and history of the name Alicia: | Edit

El nombre según la historia puede tener procedencia en la palabra griega aletheia verdad, palabra de verdad, e incluso se conoce a santa Alicia celebrada el 23 o el 28 de Junio, santa romana, que muere hacia el año 400. Sin embargo tambien se celebra a Santa Alicia el 16 de Diciembre por su relación con el nombre de Adelaida(germano)(Cfr. http://www.elalmanaque.com/santoral/junio/28-6-alicia.htm)

Famous real-life people named Alicia: | Edit

Alicia Keys, singer
Alicia Villarreal, singer
Alicia Silverstone, actress
Alicia Hayes, painter
Alicia Witt, actress
Alicia Foster, birth name of actress Jodie Foster
Alicia Sacramone, US gymnast- Olympic Silver Medalist

Alicia in song, story & screen: | Edit

Alicia Huberman: main character (played by Ingrid Bergman) in Alfred Hitchcock's "Notorious"
Character in one of VC Andrews' novels
Alicia Amnesia - Butch Walker, song.
Alicia's Diary, short story by Thomas Hardy.
Alicia Botti: character in the children's television series Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends.
Alicia Fennel: character in the television series Veronica Mars.
Alicia Spinnet: character in Harry Potter.
Alicia Rivera, a character from The Clique series by Lisi Harrison

Browse Girls' Names

Browse Boys' Names