NamesBoyA › Alan
Boy name

Alan

/ˈælən/ · 100% boys · #191 in the US for boys, 2025

Alan has been given to about 364,389 people in the United States since 1880. It was most common in 1955, which makes it a midcentury name.

Meaning
Origin
Syllables2
Pronunciation/ˈælən/
Nicknames
Living in the US≈ 292,838
Median age today60 years

Popularity, 1880–2025

Babies named Alan per year · SSA, ONS, NRS, CSO, INSEE and SSB
18802025
United StatesEngland & WalesScotlandIrelandFranceNorwayeach scaled to its own peak
  • Peak year1955 · 9,052
  • Born in 20251,915
  • All time364,389
  • England & Wales, 2025#547 · 72

How popular is Alan?

Alan ranks 191st among American boys in 2025, with 1,915 born that year. Its best year was 1955, when 9,052 babies were given the name, ranking 43rd. The typical living American called Alan is about 60 years old today. It is relatively most common in Delaware, where it accounts for 0.12% of births.

Names that sound like Alan

Phonetic similarity, 0–1
  1. Allan0.96
  2. Talan0.85
  3. Callan0.82
  4. Adan0.81
  5. Ayan0.81
  6. Harlan0.75
  7. Raylan0.75
  8. Jaylan0.75

Middle names for Alan

Ranked by flow score
  1. Alan John0.77
  2. Alan Lee0.77
  3. Alan Bryce0.76
  4. Alan Ross0.76
  5. Alan Quinn0.76
  6. Alan Jude0.76

Sibling names for Alan

Same era, comparable use, no clash
  1. Dianasister · 0.99
  2. Johnnybrother · 0.97
  3. Dannybrother · 0.97
  4. Brucebrother · 0.96
  5. Leslieeither · 0.95
  6. Jacquelinesister · 0.94

Where Alan is strongest

Share of 2025 births by state
  1. Delaware0.12%
  2. Nebraska0.11%
  3. Arizona0.10%
  4. Idaho0.10%
  5. New Mexico0.10%

With a common surname

Flow score against the most-used American surnames · try your own
  1. Alan White0.72
  2. Alan Reyes0.72
  3. Alan Moore0.72
  4. Alan Lee0.72
  5. Alan Hill0.72
  6. Alan Green0.72

How to read these numbers

Every score on this page is explained
  1. Phonetic similarity0–1
  2. Middle-name flow0–1
  3. Sibling fit0–1
  4. Living population estimatemethod
  5. PronunciationCMU dictionary

Sources for Alan

Every figure on this page is public record
  1. United States1880–2025
  2. England & Wales1996–2025
  3. Scotland1974–2020
  4. Ireland1998–2019
  5. France1900–2025
  6. Norway1945–2025
  7. PronunciationCMU dictionary

Alan across America

Share of 2025 births in each state. Darker means more common.
ME
WA
VT
NH
MT
ND
MN
WI
MI
NY
MA
OR
ID
SD
IA
IL
IN
OH
PA
NJ
CT
RI
NV
WY
NE
MO
KY
WV
VA
MD
DE
CA
UT
CO
KS
AR
TN
NC
DC
AZ
NM
OK
LA
MS
AL
SC
AK
TX
GA
FL
HI
raremost common

Source: US Social Security Administration, national and state name files, 2025 release, and the Office for National Statistics for England and Wales. Etymology researched and written by our editors. Living-population and median-age figures are our own estimates, described in the methodology.