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Allan

Allan: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning
“handsome or cheerful”
Origin
Celtic
Say it
AL-un · 2 syllables
Used for
Boys

Variant of Alan/Allen. Its origin is debated, but it is commonly connected with a Celtic personal name, often explained as 'handsome' or 'cheerful'.

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How popular is Allan?

202485.0 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 Allan in 2024283

2024 rank#852 boys

Peak year1940

Total US babies since 188096,483

Allan is steady now but far below its 1940 peak.

Names like Allan

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

  • GaelGaelic person · Celtic
  • Arthurmeaning uncertain · Celtic
  • Alanuncertain; possibly little rock or handsome · Celtic
  • Tristantumult; outcry · Celtic
  • Bryanhigh, noble · Celtic
  • Brycespeckled · Celtic
  • Kanewarrior · Celtic
  • Allenlittle rock; handsome · Celtic

Allan questions

What does the name Allan mean?

Allan means "handsome or cheerful". It comes from Celtic. Variant of Alan/Allen. Its origin is debated, but it is commonly connected with a Celtic personal name, often explained as 'handsome' or 'cheerful'.

Is Allan a boy or girl name?

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

How popular is Allan?

283 US babies were named Allan in 2024. Its peak year was 1940.

How do you pronounce Allan?

Allan is usually pronounced AL-un.

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.