Alan

Alan - A very unique male name

Alan appeared on the charts for the first time in 1910 on position #328. In this article you'll learn the history of this name, statistics, see famous people named Alan and more.
Are you having a baby or looking to learn more about the name Alan? Our experts and editorial staff have gathered trends and insights for 30,000+ baby names over the last 100 years -- And on this page you will learn everything you ever wanted to know about the name Alan. The baby boy name Alan was given to 1,894 baby boys in 2025, ranking #191 on the national boy baby name top chart.


With that position 1 in 774 baby boys were given this name - making this a very unique male name according to our Popularity Score algorithm. Alan peaked in popularity 75 years ago in 1951 on position 40.

Famous with this name

How would you rate Alan, 1-5?

Alan is currently topping the charts in...

Did you know that popularity can vary a lot between states? Alan is currently topping the baby name charts in Texas at position #128 - and is the least popular in Louisiana at position #487.

Why care about state specific baby name charts? It could be that a name that is very popular on the national overall charts is less (or even more) popular where you live. So make sure you check out the state specific charts below and find out how popular or unique Alan is where you live.

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Comment and discuss

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Alan origin and meaning

Breton and Celtic — origin disputed

Uncertain — Alan was a Breton name of unknown meaning; 'rock' and 'handsome' are traditional guesses, not established derivations

Alan was a Breton name carried to Britain by Norman followers of William the Conqueror, among them Alan Rufus. Its own Celtic root has never been securely explained. In the US it peaked in 1955 and, after decades of quiet, has recently edged upward again.

Origin uncertain

Alan is a 4 letter name with 2 syllables.

To see famous people named Alan, pop culture references for the name Alan and nicknames & variations - visit Nameberry or Wikipedia.

Similar to Alan

We've found the following names that sound similar to Alan, sorted by popularity.

Allen / Allan / Alain / Alen / Alma / Allyn / Aylan / Alon / Alim / Aleem /

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Name statistics

Most parents-to-be know if they want a popular or unique name, and with these charts and data tables you can easily get a better understanding of how popular or unique this name is.

With a quick glance you can easily tell if this name is increasing or declining in popularity - But note that its current popularity can actually differ a lot from state to state.

Chart position per year (visualized)

Chart position per state (visualized)

Chart position per year (table view)

Chart position per state (table view)

Even more about Alan

These are some of the common questions you may want to have answered to know if this is the perfect name for your baby.

Is Alan a common or unique name?

By analyzing the number of births and frequency of this name we've determined that it's currently a very unique male name.

What is the number of syllables for the name Alan?

2 syllables. Why is this important? One of the things that makes a baby name sound good and have a nice rythm is the number of syllables - and especially the number of syllables along with the syllable count for your last name. A simple rule is to avoid having the same number of syllables in your first, middle and last name.

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Pronunciation

AL-un · /ˈælən/

Around the world

• Alain (French) — The French form of the name
• Alun (Welsh) — The Welsh form
• Alán (Spanish) — Used with an accent mark in Spanish

Spellings and nicknames

• Allan — Common spelling variant
• Allen — Spelling matching the surname
• Alen — Less common simplified spelling

Nicknames: Al

Famous bearers

• Alan Turing — Mathematician who led the Bletchley Park codebreaking effort and founded computer science (1912–1954) Historical
• Alan Rickman — Actor known for Die Hard and the Harry Potter films (1946–2016) Contemporary

Style

ClassicInternational

Why parents choose it

Alan is a mid-century classic now rare enough among babies to feel fresh, with unimpeachable bearers in Turing and Rickman.

Worth knowing

• Three spellings — Alan, Allan, Allen — are all in use and will be mixed up
• Can feel plain or dated to parents raised on 1970s Alans