Alan is a spelling variation of Allan and Allen. There is also Alan's given name.
English and Scottish: derived from a Celtic personal name that is both ancient and obscure. In England, the personal name Alan and the surname Allen are now more often used; in Scotland, the surname Allan is more commonly used. Other names that may be derived from the same original name include Alun, Alphonse, Antony, Arlo, Austin, Baldwin, Barthelomew, Bertram, Brodrick, Bryan, Charles, Christopher, Collin, Conard, Corbin, Crawford, Curwen, Dacey, David, Edward, Edmund, Ephraim, Esau, Evan, Francis, Frederick, Geoffrey, Gilbert, Glenn, Graham, Grant, Henry, Hugh, Irving, Isadore, Isaac, Jackson, James, John, Jonathan, Joseph, Kevin, Kurt, Lawrence, Leopold, Lewis, Lloyd, Loyd, Martin, Matthew, Michael, Morris, Nathan, Neill, Nicholas, Norman, Oswald, Parker, Paul, Pearce, Percy, Richard, Robert, Roderick, Roger, Samuel, Scott, Sean, Shawn, Sidney, Stephen, Stuart, Sullivan, Sylvanus, Thomas, Travis, Walter, William, Wilson.
German: derived from a Germanic given name that means "bright" or "shining".
Indian: derived from an Indian given name that means "the dark one" or "the black one".
In the English language, Alan is a masculine given name. Scholars think that immigrants from Brittany carried the name to England in the 11th century; afterwards, the name migrated north into Scotland and west into Ireland. It may have been derived from the Gaelic name Ailbhe, which means "beauty" or "lovely".
Alan has used as a first name since the 13th century, but it was not common until after 1600. Its usage gradually increased throughout the 18th century and peaked in 1913 when it was adopted by its current number one spot holder, American baseball player Alan Trammell.
After World War II, the popularity of the name began to rise again. In 2001, it was ranked as the 944th most popular name for boys in America.
Alan is used exclusively for males. For females, use the female form of the name: Alice or Allison.
People who have the surnames Alan or Allen as a first or last name. Other names for Alun include Alyn, Alana, Allan, Allyn, and Allin. Sort the results by: surname, first name, middle name.
The following are some of the most famous Alans throughout history: King Alan I (d. 878), king of the Picts; Queen Alania (c. 790-865), queen of the Picts; St. Alan of Dumfries (d. c. 614), bishop; St. Alan of Lisle (d. c. 991), priest.
There are still people with the last name Alan in the United States today. In fact, the last name has been in popular culture so many times that it has even become a nickname! Alan Shepard, John Alan Simon, and James Alan Smith are just a few examples of people who have been nicknamed Alan.
Alan is the English version of the German name Alain. People with the name Alain include a French singer and actor.
Today, there are several Alan variants, including a short version, as well as numerous feminine forms of the name. Alan can be found in a variety of languages. Alan is both an Old Breton personal name (from which the current English Alan is derived) and a Norman French name. The Welsh form of the name is Halan.
According to the Social Security Administration, among other things, the first letter of the English language alphabet is assigned to this name. Thus, the name of which letter it is cannot be determined from its usage today.
The original meaning of the name Alan was "fair-haired." This reflects the common use of the name among people of European descent. Today, it is mostly used as a given name or nickname, especially among boys.
Alan has been used as a female name since the early 15th century. It may have originated as a variant of Alexander or Allan.