Alan

Irish
"handsome, cheerful"

Alan Origin and Meaning

The name Alan is a boy's name of Irish origin meaning "handsome, cheerful".

In its three most popular spellings -- Alan along with Allen and Allan -- this midcentury favorite has tended to skew older. It was a Top 100 name from 1938 to 1971, peaking at Number 40 in 1951. Alan has had leading roles on recent TV, in shows like Two and a Half Men, 24 and Boston Legal.

Current bearers include Alan Alda, Alan Cummings, and writers Alan Bennett and Alan Ayckbourn. Alan is a venerable Celtic name, first used in England in the Middle Ages. We like the Welsh spelling Alun.

# 168 in the US

Alan Rank in US Top 1000

# 574 on Nameberry

Alan Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

Popularity of the name Alan

20 Names Similar to Alan

These 20 names were selected by our users that were looking for other names like Alan.

Famous People Named Alan

  • Alan Sidney Patrick Rickman
    English actor
  • Alan Cumming
    Scottish actor
  • Alan Davies
    English comedian
  • Alan Irwin Menken
    American composer and pianist
  • Alan Erwin Ball
    American screenwriter, producer, and director
  • Alan Wray Tudyk
    American actor
  • Alan Ladd
    American actor
  • A[lan] A[lexander] Milne
    English author
  • Alan Sillitoe
    British novelist, short,story writer and poet
  • Alan Watts
    English philosopher
  • Alan Tam
    Cantonese pop singer
  • Alan Carr
    English comedian and television personality
  • Alan J. Heeger
    American physicist and Nobel Prize laureate in chemistry
  • Alan Shepard
    American astronaut
  • Alan L. Bean
    American astronaut
  • Alan Ashby
    guitarist of American band Of Mice And Men
  • Alan Turing
    British cryptographer and father of computer science
  • Alan Arkin
    American actor
  • Alan Ritchson
    American actor and contestant on NBC show "I Can Do That"
  • Alan Powell
    American actor/singer
  • Alan Olav Walker
    Norwegian record producer and DJ
  • Alan van Spring
    Canadian actor
  • Cody Alan Williams
    son of actor/comedian Robin Williams
  • Mason Alan Dye
    son of actors Cameron Dye and Laura San Giacomo
  • Brooks Alan Stuber (b. 2012)
    son of model Molly Sims and Scott Stuber
  • Alan O'Day
    American singer/songwriter
  • Alan George Longmuir
    Scottish guitarist (Bay City Rollers)
  • Alan Keith
    English radio broadcaster

The name Alan in Pop Culture

  • Alan Shepard Tracy
    youngest Tracy son from "The Thunderbirds" series
  • Alan Grant
    character from "Jurassic Park"
  • Alan Harper
    character from "Two and a Half Men"
  • Alan Matthews
    dad from the TV show "Boy Meets World"
  • Alan Shore
    character from TV show "Boston Legal" played by James Spader
  • Alan Wilson
    character from the TV series "24"
  • Alan "The Brain" Powers
    character from kids show "Arthur"
  • Alan Frog
    character in the hit film "The Lost Boys"
  • Alan
    character on Freeform's "Recovery Road"
  • Alan Parrish
    lead character in "Jumanji," portrayed by Robin Williams
  • Alan Diaz
    character on TV's "Mighty Med"
  • Alan Rikkin
    character in the film "Assassin's Creed"
  • "Alan
    " song by Perfume Genius
  • Alan Lowenstein
    character on TV's "Young & Hungry"
  • Alan
    character on "Sesame Street"
  • Alan Dracula
    main character in the animated series “Infinity Train”

International Variations of the name Alan

  • Ailean
    Scottish
  • Alao
    Portuguese
  • Allyn
    Welsh
  • Aland
    Welsh
  • Ailin
    Irish
  • Alain
    French
  • Alun
    Welsh
  • Alano
    Spanish

The name Alan in Nameberry Blog Posts