Alan
From Old Breton Alan, name of early Breton saints, of disputed origin and meaning; brought to England by Normans.
Every Alan since 1882 — 364,389 of them. Popularity, births, and rankings for each year, from official Social Security records.
The story of Alan
Alan is moderately common for boys in the United States, ranked #191 in 2025 with 1,915 babies given the name. It is currently holding steady compared with a decade ago.
Since 1882, 364,389 American babies have been named Alan. Its peak came in 1955, when 9,052 newborns received the name — the signature sound of the 1950s.
The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Alan stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.
Alan year by year
Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.
| Year | Girls | Girls rank | Boys | Boys rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | — | — | 1,915 | #191 |
| 2024 | — | — | 2,188 | #167 |
| 2023 | — | — | 2,164 | #167 |
| 2022 | — | — | 2,006 | #189 |
| 2021 | — | — | 1,931 | #197 |
| 2020 | — | — | 1,966 | #194 |
| 2019 | — | — | 2,142 | #182 |
| 2018 | 5 | #15,776 | 2,250 | #174 |
| 2017 | 5 | #16,018 | 2,442 | #159 |
| 2016 | 5 | #16,349 | 2,630 | #155 |
| 2015 | 13 | #8,471 | 2,487 | #167 |
| 2014 | 9 | #11,011 | 2,500 | #170 |
| 2013 | 9 | #11,053 | 2,607 | #153 |
| 2012 | 12 | #9,134 | 2,285 | #170 |
| 2011 | 9 | #11,222 | 2,343 | #164 |
| 2010 | — | — | 2,513 | #156 |
| 2009 | 7 | #13,775 | 2,847 | #142 |
| 2008 | — | — | 3,027 | #135 |
| 2007 | 8 | #12,716 | 3,249 | #130 |
| 2006 | 6 | #15,212 | 3,475 | #122 |
| 2005 | 13 | #8,351 | 3,205 | #128 |
| 2004 | 17 | #6,781 | 3,062 | #132 |
| 2003 | 17 | #6,589 | 3,098 | #131 |
| 2002 | 7 | #12,232 | 2,625 | #150 |
| 2001 | 7 | #12,112 | 2,644 | #148 |
| 2000 | 12 | #8,046 | 2,415 | #161 |
| 1995 | 9 | #8,782 | 2,293 | #153 |
| 1990 | 15 | #5,839 | 2,640 | #126 |
| 1985 | 19 | #4,128 | 2,684 | #109 |
| 1980 | 20 | #3,856 | 2,671 | #112 |
| 1975 | 15 | #4,142 | 2,248 | #115 |
| 1970 | 23 | #2,938 | 3,553 | #91 |
| 1965 | 17 | #3,050 | 5,612 | #59 |
| 1960 | 21 | #2,649 | 8,356 | #50 |
| 1955 | 15 | #2,972 | 9,037 | #43 |
| 1950 | 13 | #2,912 | 7,737 | #41 |
| 1945 | 9 | #3,133 | 5,073 | #52 |
| 1940 | 6 | #3,868 | 2,377 | #88 |
| 1935 | — | — | 1,425 | #122 |
| 1930 | 9 | #3,057 | 1,301 | #136 |
| 1925 | — | — | 804 | #179 |
| 1920 | — | — | 433 | #263 |
| 1915 | — | — | 238 | #346 |
| 1910 | — | — | 59 | #321 |
| 1905 | — | — | 23 | #463 |
| 1900 | — | — | 27 | #431 |
| 1895 | — | — | 21 | #426 |
| 1890 | — | — | 12 | #566 |
| 1885 | — | — | 10 | #604 |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — |
Famous people named Alan
- Alan Turing Computer scientist · 1912–1954
- Alan Rickman Actor · 1946–2016
- Alan Parker Film director · 1944–2020
- Alan Shepard Astronaut · 1923–1998
- Alan Arkin Actor · b. 1934
Ranked by global fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).
Frequently asked questions
What does the name Alan mean?
From Old Breton Alan, name of early Breton saints, of disputed origin and meaning; brought to England by Normans.
How popular is the name Alan in 2025?
Alan ranked #191 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 1,915 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.
How many people are named Alan?
364,389 babies have been named Alan in the United States since 1882, based on Social Security card applications.
When was the name Alan most popular?
Alan peaked in 1955, when 9,052 newborns received the name.
Is Alan a boy or girl name?
Alan is overwhelmingly a boy's name — 100% of babies with the name.
Is the name Alan rising or falling?
Alan has been roughly stable over the past decade.
Who are famous people named Alan?
Well-known people named Alan include Alan Turing (computer scientist), Alan Rickman (actor), Alan Parker (film director).