Alan
Pronounced AE1 L AE0 N (ARPABET)
- 2 syllables
- Peaked 1955
- 145 years in use
- 5 spellings
How popular is Alan?
Alan is a boys' name, and has been in the record since the data starts in 1880. It has been given to 733,743 children — the 47th most common boys' name on record.
It has been slipping, down 25% on the previous decade. Its best single year was 1955, when 15,637 children were given it.
Five other spellings are counted in that total — Allen, Allan, Alen and two more — because they are pronounced identically.
Spelling variants
These spellings sound identical to Alan and are counted together with it, which is why the totals here are higher than a single-spelling count.
- Allen
- Allan
- Alen
- Alyn
- Alann
Nicknames
Common short forms: Al.
Characteristics
- 2 syllables
Phonetic detail
- Pronunciations:
- AE1 L AE0 N · AE1 L AH0 N · AE1 L EH1 N
- Stress pattern:
- 10 · 10 · 11
- Syllables:
- 2
Stress digits mark unstressed (0), primary (1) and secondary (2) syllables.
Names like Alan
Same first letter and syllable count, peaking around the same time.
Sibling names for Alan
Names from the same era with a matching rhythm but a different initial.
Frequently asked questions
- How popular is the name Alan?
- Alan ranks 47th among boys' names in US records, with 733,743 births since 1880. Over the past decade it accounts for 33,261.
- Is Alan a unisex name?
- No. Alan is recorded almost entirely as a boys' name; births to the other gender are too few to register as a share.
- When was Alan most popular?
- 1955, when 15,637 children were given the name. It has been in use for 145 years and is still recorded as of 2024.
- What are common nicknames for Alan?
- Al. These are recorded as separate names in their own right, so each has its own page and its own popularity curve.
- How else is Alan spelled?
- Allen, Allan, Alen, Alyn, Alann. All of these sound the same and are counted together in the totals on this page.