Alan
A boys’ name of Scottish Gaelic origin, meaning fair or handsome.
Babies a year
2,441
the US, 2017
Rarity
Common
among names in use
US popularity
#191
down from #167
UK popularity
#539
72 babies · up from #592
How Alan has moved
View as table
| Year | US rank |
|---|---|
| 2015 | #167 |
| 2016 | #155 |
| 2017 | #159 |
| 2018 | #174 |
| 2019 | #182 |
| 2020 | #194 |
| 2021 | #197 |
| 2022 | #189 |
| 2023 | #168 |
| 2024 | #167 |
| 2025 | #191 |
In 2025, 72 babies in England and Wales were named Alan. In the US, 2,441 were, though that figure is from 2017 — the most recent full year we hold. Its US peak was 9,028 in 1955.
Looking further back: between 1880 and 2008, Alan was most common in 1955, when it went to 0.43% of American babies of that sex. Squarely vintage-revival territory.
Names about as common as Alan
Nobody has voted on Alan yet
Alan needs five head-to-heads before it appears in the rankings.
Start with names like this one