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.

Alan Rank in US Top 1000

# 168 in the US

Alan Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

# 574 on Nameberry

Popularity of the name Alan

• 168 US 2023
• 574 Nameberry 2025
• 187 Future 2028
• 464 England 2023
• 94 Ireland 2014
• 306 Germany 2016
• 79 Spain 2023
• 49 Mexico 2021
• 45 Poland 2024
• 87 Chile 2021

20 Names Similar to Alan

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

• Johnathan
• Stephen
• Allen
• Kenneth
• Jeremy
• Keith
• Jeremiah
• Phillip
• Brian
• Mark
• Steven
• Sean
• Kevin
• Eric
• Carlos
• Curtis
• Scott
• Dominick
• Jared
• Derek

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