# Alan (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/alan/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | boys |
| Origin | not recorded |
| Meaning | “noble” |
| Pronunciation | /ˈæl.ən/, 2 syllables |
| Nicknames | none recorded |
| Variant spellings | Allan, Allen, Alen |
| US babies named this | 364,389 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 363,313 / 1,076 (0% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 5,470, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

From Old Breton Alan, name of early Breton saints, of disputed origin and meaning; brought to England by Normans. It may have been the name of a Celtic deity, the brother of Bran, Welsh Alawn, Alun. As an early Irish name, perhaps connected with ail (“noble”). Compare French Alain.

## What it means

Alan is grouped under noble.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 7 | 12,232 |
| 2003 | 17 | 6,589 |
| 2004 | 17 | 6,781 |
| 2005 | 13 | 8,351 |
| 2006 | 6 | 15,212 |
| 2007 | 8 | 12,716 |
| 2009 | 7 | 13,775 |
| 2011 | 9 | 11,222 |
| 2012 | 12 | 9,134 |
| 2013 | 9 | 11,053 |
| 2014 | 9 | 11,011 |
| 2015 | 13 | 8,471 |
| 2016 | 5 | 16,349 |
| 2017 | 5 | 16,018 |
| 2018 | 5 | 15,776 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 2,343 | 164 |
| 2012 | 2,285 | 170 |
| 2013 | 2,607 | 153 |
| 2014 | 2,500 | 170 |
| 2015 | 2,487 | 167 |
| 2016 | 2,630 | 155 |
| 2017 | 2,442 | 159 |
| 2018 | 2,250 | 174 |
| 2019 | 2,142 | 182 |
| 2020 | 1,966 | 194 |
| 2021 | 1,931 | 197 |
| 2022 | 2,006 | 189 |
| 2023 | 2,164 | 167 |
| 2024 | 2,188 | 167 |
| 2025 | 1,915 | 191 |

### England and Wales, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 263 | 199 |
| 2012 | 330 | 178 |
| 2013 | 302 | 185 |
| 2014 | 302 | 187 |
| 2015 | 346 | 170 |
| 2016 | 312 | 181 |
| 2017 | 246 | 214 |
| 2018 | 199 | 255 |
| 2019 | 152 | 312 |
| 2020 | 154 | 298 |
| 2021 | 127 | 352 |
| 2022 | 84 | 472 |
| 2023 | 86 | 464 |
| 2024 | 64 | 592 |
| 2025 | 72 | 539 |

## In other languages

- Catalan: Alà
- Chinese: 艾倫 /艾伦
- Czech: Alan
- Danish: Allan
- Dutch: Alan, Alanus, Alain, Alaan
- Finnish: Allan
- French: Alain
- Greek: Αλανός, Αλάν
- Irish: Ailín
- Italian: Alano
- Latin: Alanus
- Portuguese: Alan
- Russian: А́лан
- Scottish Gaelic: Ailean
- Slovak: Alan
- Spanish: Alano, Alán
- Swedish: Allan
- Welsh: Alawn, Alun

## People named Alan

- Alan Turing, English computer scientist (1912–1954)
- Alan Rickman, British actor and director (1946–2016)
- Alan Shearer, English footballer
- Alan Arkin, American actor, filmmaker (1934–2023)
- Alan Shepard, American astronaut, first American in space, lunar explorer (1923–1998)
- Alan Moore, British comic book author (born 1953)
- Alan Alda, American actor (born 1936)
- Alan Greenspan, American economist and financial advisor (1926–2026)
- Alan Parker, British filmmaker (1944–2020)
- Alan Bean, American astronaut and painter (1932-2018)
- Alan J. Heeger, American chemist, physicist
- Alan Silvestri, American composer, conductor, orchestrator and music producer

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.