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Alan

Alan: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning
“uncertain; possibly little rock or handsome”
Origin
Celtic
Say it
AL-ən · 2 syllables
Used for
Boys

Alan comes via Breton and Old French; its deeper origin is debated. It may be related to Celtic elements, but the exact meaning remains uncertain.

Irish namesScottish namesEnglish namesClassic namesInternational names

How popular is Alan?

2024656 per million US babies
1880192019602000
Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Babies named Alan in 20242,183

2024 rank#167 boys

Peak year1951

Total US babies since 1880362,464

Alan has been fairly stable over the last fifteen years.

Names like Alan

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

  • Alanauncertain; often linked to little rock or handsome · Unknown
  • Alannachild; or dear one · Irish
  • GaelGaelic person · Celtic
  • Arthurmeaning uncertain · Celtic
  • Tristantumult; outcry · Celtic
  • Bryanhigh, noble · Celtic
  • Brycespeckled · Celtic
  • Kanewarrior · Celtic

Alan questions

What does the name Alan mean?

Alan means "uncertain; possibly little rock or handsome". It comes from Celtic. Alan comes via Breton and Old French; its deeper origin is debated. It may be related to Celtic elements, but the exact meaning remains uncertain.

Is Alan a boy or girl name?

Alan is mainly a boy's name in US records (100% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Alan?

2,183 US babies were named Alan in 2024. Its peak year was 1951.

How do you pronounce Alan?

Alan is usually pronounced AL-ən.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.