boy's name
Alan
AL-an
- Origin Breton
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 4
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 424,694
the United States
#191
2025 births
Alan is a boy's name of Breton origin whose meaning has never been established. "Handsome," "harmony" and "little rock" are all offered, and none is demonstrated — the Breton source is simply not recoverable.
- Alan is a name of Breton origin.
- Peaked in 1955, when 9,052 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 1,731 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1882.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Alan over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 51 |
| 1890s | 144 |
| 1900s | 293 |
| 1910s | 2,020 |
| 1920s | 7,045 |
| 1930s | 16,409 |
| 1940s | 50,392 |
| 1950s | 84,118 |
| 1960s | 61,587 |
| 1970s | 24,958 |
| 1980s | 26,997 |
| 1990s | 24,198 |
| 2000s | 29,741 |
| 2010s | 24,266 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 12,170 |
What Alan means
Alan has no agreed meaning. The three readings in circulation — handsome, harmony and little rock — are reconstructions from later forms rather than derivations from anything documented.
Where Alan comes from
Alan arrived in England with Breton followers of William the Conqueror, several of whom were named Alan, and it became common in England and Scotland within a generation. Its Breton origin is genuinely obscure: proposals connect it to a word for a deer, to a root meaning harmony, and to the Alans, a nomadic Iranian people who settled in Brittany in the fifth century — that last is the most historically interesting and the least provable. Reference works giving a confident meaning are choosing among guesses.
Alan in use
Our data shows Alan falling, peaking in 1955, and it first appears in our records in 1882 and has never dropped out. Alana, on this site separately, is its feminine — and carries the same unresolved meaning, which is why our Alana entry hedges in the same way.
How popular is Alan?
In 2025, Alan was given to 1,915 babies in the United States, ranking #191 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Alan is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
How Alan is spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Alân | Alân is a rare spelling of Alan, written with a circumflex and recorded about 10 times, mostly in France. | 10 |
Names that peaked alongside Alan
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Alan also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Alan over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Alan
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Alan in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Alan
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Alan — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Alan
What does the name Alan mean?
There is no agreed meaning. "Handsome," "harmony" and "little rock" are all offered and none is demonstrated.
Where does Alan come from?
Breton, arriving in England with William the Conqueror's Breton followers in 1066.
Is Alan related to the Alans?
Possibly. The Alans were a nomadic Iranian people who settled in Brittany in the fifth century — historically interesting but unproven.
How popular is the name Alan?
In 2025, Alan was given to 1,915 babies in the United States, ranking #191 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Is Alan a girl's or a boy's name?
Alan is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Alan?
Alan has 2 syllables.
When was Alan most popular?
Alan peaked in 1955, when 9,052 babies were given the name. Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Alan?
Alan is usually shortened to Al.
Is Alan a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Alan currently ranks #191 in the United States. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.