Boston Public Library - Electric Scotland

4 MEANING OF THE NAME ALISON.
THE TKITE ORIGIN OF THE NAME OF THE SCOTCH ALISONS
OR ALLISONS.
The studied and plausible theories of different and able
writers, as expressed in the preceding pages, in relation to
the origin of the name Alison, are interesting and instructive
to the student and general reader. But while fascinating,
they fail utterly in giving the correct origin of the Scotch
Alison name, as will be shown at length in a following
chapter on the Allisons of Scotland. It is a fact beyond
doubt that Alisoti comes from Alister, ox Alexander^ and that
the Alisons are off-shoots of the famous clan of MacAlister.
(See chapter III.)
The following is from Rev. Archibald Alison, of Prestwick,
Scotland :
MEANING AND ORIGIN OF THE NAME ALISON.
" There are some who maintain that almost all the roots of
the Celtic and Saxon Languages are from the Hebrew. These
are inclined to believe that this is the case with the name
Alison. Deriving it from the '
Hebrew, then it signifies Son
of my God.' But there are others who take a different view,
' and maintain that the name merely signifies Son of Alex.'
Among the Highlanders of Scotland it has been common from
very ancient times to denominate the descendants of any
noted chief by the prefix '
Mac,' a prefix which signifies
'
Son.' Hence we read of the McDonalds or descendants of
Donald, the McArthurs or descendants of Arthur, and
McAlisters or descendants of Alister. On the other hand,
amid the Lowlanders of Scotland, it has been common to use
an affix instead of a prefix to denominate the descendants of
any chief. Hence we have the Donaldsons or descendants of
Donald, the Williamsons or descendants of William, and the
Cuthbertsons or descendants of Cuthbert.
This we think is the origin of the Alisons or descendants
of Alister.
In ancient times, among the Scotch it Highlanders, was
customary to have only one name. We read, for example,
of Somerled, the king of the isles, of Dugald of Lorn, and of
Alexander of Loupe. And who was Dugald but the chief of
the Macdougalds, and who was Alexander but the chief of
the McAlisters? Here it maybe mentioned that Alister is
the same with Alexander ; and in the history of the High-