boy's name
Allan
AL-en
- Origin Breton
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 5
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 122,667
Northern Ireland
#213
1998 births
Allan has no settled meaning at all — handsome, little rock and a deer are all proposed for the Breton original, and the name reached England through Brittany rather than through Ireland or Scotland at all.
- Allan is a name of Breton origin.
- Peaked in 1947, when 2,192 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 14,867 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Allan 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 | 228 |
| 1890s | 298 |
| 1900s | 533 |
| 1910s | 3,237 |
| 1920s | 7,027 |
| 1930s | 11,381 |
| 1940s | 17,866 |
| 1950s | 17,734 |
| 1960s | 11,148 |
| 1970s | 5,947 |
| 1980s | 5,647 |
| 1990s | 5,397 |
| 2000s | 5,206 |
| 2010s | 3,392 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 1,670 |
What Allan means
Allan has no securely known meaning. Handsome, little rock and a word for a deer are all proposed for the Breton name behind it, and none is established.
Where Allan comes from
Allan descends from the Breton Alan, carried to England by Bretons in the Norman force after 1066 and made popular by Alan Rufus, a companion of the Conqueror who became one of the richest men in England. The meanings offered — handsome, a little rock, a deer — come from different Celtic roots and none is agreed. It later took hold strongly in Scotland, which is why the name reads as Scottish, though the route ran through Brittany. Alan-a-Dale in the Robin Hood ballads carries the older spelling.
Allan in use
Allan peaked in the United States in 1947, when 2,192 babies were registered, and our data marks it stable rather than falling. It now ranks 1013th in the United States on 223 births, 1048th in France on 35 and 3957th in England and Wales, across 122,667 lifetime births in four of the seven markets we track. America and France rank it within 35 places of each other.
How popular is Allan?
In 2025, Allan was given to 223 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Allan 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.
Names that peaked alongside Allan
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Allan also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Allan over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Allan 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 Allan
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Allan — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Allan
What does the name Allan mean?
Not known. Handsome, little rock and a deer are all proposed for the Breton original.
Is Allan Scottish?
It took hold strongly in Scotland, but the route ran through Brittany with the Norman conquest.
Is it Allan, Alan or Allen?
All three are the same name. Alan is closest to the Breton original.
How popular is Allan?
1013th in the United States, and our data marks it stable.
Is Allan a girl's or a boy's name?
Allan is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Allan?
Allan has 2 syllables.
Is Allan a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Allan currently ranks #1,013 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.