Boy nameCurrently #167 in the USSteady
Alan
AL-un//ˈælən//
2 syllablesPeak year: 19554 lettersStarts with A
Meaning & origin
Handsome, or little rock (disputed)
Alan's exact meaning is uncertain, variously proposed to relate to 'handsome', 'harmony', or a Breton word for rock, and it was a popular name among Breton nobility brought to England after the Norman Conquest. Its steady, understated sound has kept it in use for centuries.
Alan's popularity over time
| Year | Births named Alan |
|---|---|
| 1882 | 6 |
| 1884 | 9 |
| 1885 | 10 |
| 1886 | 5 |
| 1887 | 5 |
| 1888 | 6 |
| 1889 | 10 |
| 1890 | 12 |
| 1891 | 9 |
| 1892 | 17 |
| 1893 | 12 |
| 1894 | 11 |
| 1895 | 21 |
| 1896 | 13 |
| 1897 | 19 |
| 1898 | 14 |
| 1899 | 16 |
| 1900 | 27 |
| 1901 | 20 |
| 1902 | 27 |
| 1903 | 25 |
| 1904 | 29 |
| 1905 | 23 |
| 1906 | 28 |
| 1907 | 38 |
| 1908 | 31 |
| 1909 | 45 |
| 1910 | 59 |
| 1911 | 55 |
| 1912 | 102 |
| 1913 | 158 |
| 1914 | 184 |
| 1915 | 238 |
| 1916 | 251 |
| 1917 | 310 |
| 1918 | 333 |
| 1919 | 330 |
| 1920 | 433 |
| 1921 | 380 |
| 1922 | 479 |
| 1923 | 588 |
| 1924 | 625 |
| 1925 | 804 |
| 1926 | 841 |
| 1927 | 815 |
| 1928 | 971 |
| 1929 | 1,109 |
| 1930 | 1,310 |
| 1931 | 1,428 |
| 1932 | 1,347 |
| 1933 | 1,352 |
| 1934 | 1,369 |
| 1935 | 1,425 |
| 1936 | 1,755 |
| 1937 | 1,846 |
| 1938 | 2,241 |
| 1939 | 2,336 |
| 1940 | 2,383 |
| 1941 | 2,629 |
| 1942 | 3,141 |
| 1943 | 3,860 |
| 1944 | 4,285 |
| 1945 | 5,082 |
| 1946 | 6,497 |
| 1947 | 7,842 |
| 1948 | 7,404 |
| 1949 | 7,269 |
| 1950 | 7,751 |
| 1951 | 8,423 |
| 1952 | 8,322 |
| 1953 | 8,465 |
| 1954 | 8,726 |
| 1955 | 9,048 |
| 1956 | 8,747 |
| 1957 | 8,227 |
| 1958 | 8,240 |
| 1959 | 8,170 |
| 1960 | 8,378 |
| 1961 | 8,634 |
| 1962 | 7,748 |
| 1963 | 6,953 |
| 1964 | 6,835 |
| 1965 | 5,630 |
| 1966 | 4,953 |
| 1967 | 4,587 |
| 1968 | 3,996 |
| 1969 | 3,871 |
| 1970 | 3,576 |
| 1971 | 3,183 |
| 1972 | 2,589 |
| 1973 | 2,283 |
| 1974 | 2,243 |
| 1975 | 2,264 |
| 1976 | 2,204 |
| 1977 | 2,148 |
| 1978 | 2,135 |
| 1979 | 2,334 |
| 1980 | 2,691 |
| 1981 | 2,597 |
| 1982 | 2,702 |
| 1983 | 2,783 |
| 1984 | 2,723 |
| 1985 | 2,702 |
| 1986 | 2,669 |
| 1987 | 2,611 |
| 1988 | 2,770 |
| 1989 | 2,748 |
| 1990 | 2,655 |
| 1991 | 2,561 |
| 1992 | 2,622 |
| 1993 | 2,575 |
| 1994 | 2,443 |
| 1995 | 2,302 |
| 1996 | 2,456 |
| 1997 | 2,184 |
| 1998 | 2,143 |
| 1999 | 2,257 |
| 2000 | 2,427 |
| 2001 | 2,651 |
| 2002 | 2,632 |
| 2003 | 3,115 |
| 2004 | 3,079 |
| 2005 | 3,218 |
| 2006 | 3,481 |
| 2007 | 3,257 |
| 2008 | 3,027 |
| 2009 | 2,854 |
| 2010 | 2,513 |
| 2011 | 2,351 |
| 2012 | 2,297 |
| 2013 | 2,616 |
| 2014 | 2,508 |
| 2015 | 2,500 |
| 2016 | 2,635 |
| 2017 | 2,447 |
| 2018 | 2,255 |
| 2019 | 2,141 |
| 2020 | 1,966 |
| 2021 | 1,931 |
| 2022 | 2,005 |
| 2023 | 2,164 |
| 2024 | 2,183 |
Alan through the decades
- Alan peaked in 1955, when 9,048 babies were named Alan in the US.
- Over the last 10 years of data (2015–2024), use of Alan has fallen 21% compared to the 10 years before that.
- Alan currently ranks #167 in the US and is holding steady.
Nicknames
Al
Variants & spellings
AllanAlain
Famous people named Alan
- Alan Turing — mathematician and computer scientist