How common is the surname Allan?

11,867 people in the United States had the surname Allan in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 26,017 Americans. It ranked 3,022nd of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Allan?

Elizabeth Allan, actress (1910-1990), followed by Brad Allan.

Where is the surname Allan most common?

Wikidata records people named Allan in the United Kingdom, Australia and the United States.

Is the surname Allan getting more or less common?

More common. 10,746 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 11,867 in 2010, up 10%.

Is Allan also a first name?

Yes. Allan is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.

The surname Allan

A patronymic surname, carried by 11,867 people in the United States.

2 syllables Soundex A450 Also a first name

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Allan is more common than 98.1% of them.

Origin

A surname transferred from the given name derived from the given name, more often spelled Allen.

Allan is a patronymic surname: formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 11,867 people named Allan in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 26,017 Americans. That is up 10% since 2000, when the Census counted 10,746.

#3,022

rank among US surnames

11,867

people in 2010

4.0

per 100,000 Americans

+10.4%

change since 2000 (was #3,090)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#3,014	Edgar	11,895	25,956
#3,015	Forman	11,894	25,958
#3,016	Hannon	11,893	25,960
#3,017	Reedy	11,884	25,980
#3,018	Galvin	11,882	25,984
#3,019	Doughty	11,880	25,989
#3,020	Fraley	11,876	25,997

Who is named Allan

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

84% of people named Allan identified as white (not Hispanic), 6.5% as Black (not Hispanic) and 3.8% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

White (not Hispanic) 84%
Black (not Hispanic) 6.5%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 3.8%
Two or more races 2.4%
Asian and Pacific Islander 2.1%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.8%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Allans

6 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Elizabeth Allan
Actress (1910-1990)
Brad Allan
Australian martial artist, action choreographer, actor and stunt performer (1973–2021)
Keith Allan
American actor, born 1969
Mitch Allan
American rock singer, born 1972
Frank Allan
Australian cricketer (1849-1917)
Annie Ross
British-American actress, singer and vocalist, 1930–2020

Notable Allans come mostly from the United Kingdom (2), Australia (2) and the United States (2).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Variant spellings

Alan
Allen
Alen

Surnames that sound like Allan

Allan has the Soundex code A450, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code A450.

Questions

How common is the surname Allan?: 11,867 people in the United States had the surname Allan in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 26,017 Americans. It ranked 3,022nd of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Allan?: In the 2010 Census, 84% of people named Allan identified as white (not Hispanic), and 6.5% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Allan?: Elizabeth Allan, actress (1910-1990), followed by Brad Allan.
Where is the surname Allan most common?: Wikidata records people named Allan in the United Kingdom, Australia and the United States.
What type of surname is Allan?: Allan is a patronymic surname, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.
Is the surname Allan getting more or less common?: More common. 10,746 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 11,867 in 2010, up 10%.
What are other spellings of Allan?: Alan, Allen and Alen.
Is Allan also a first name?: Yes. Allan is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.