Alan

Last seen for girls in 2018 at #15,682 · #191 for boys in 2025, 1,915 births
Given to boys 99.7% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · boys
1951 · 8,408 births
Debut · boys
6 births
In top 100 · boys
34 yrs
of 146 years
Total births · boys
363,313
since 1882

Alan over time

boys

Rank among boys' names. Click any year to open it.

#1#10#100#1,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201955peak #40, 1951boys
Hover or use arrow keys to read values by year; click or press Enter to open that year.

Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.

Show data table
Yeargirlsboys
rankbirthsrankbirths
2025#1911,915
2024#1672,188
2023#1672,164
2022#1892,006
2021#1971,931
2020#1941,966
2019#1822,142
2018#15,6825#1742,250
2017#15,9025#1592,442
2016#16,2155#1552,630
2015#8,44713#1672,487
2014#10,9559#1702,500
2013#11,0009#1532,607
2012#9,10912#1702,285
2011#11,1819#1642,343
2010#1562,513
2009#13,7047#1422,847
2008#1353,027
2007#12,6768#1303,249
2006#15,1526#1223,475
2005#8,33013#1283,205
2004#6,76817#1323,062
2003#6,57617#1313,098
2002#12,1877#1502,625
2001#12,0567#1482,644
2000#8,02712#1612,415
1999#10,3458#1642,249
1998#14,1225#1612,138
1997#10,8367#1582,177
1996#8,8129#1432,447
1995#8,7669#1532,293
1994#8,8049#1442,435
1993#7,49811#1322,564
1992#6,00815#1292,606
1991#5,65916#1282,545
1990#5,83515#1262,640
1989#5,54515#1202,733
1988#5,06516#1102,754
1987#3,52425#1122,586
1986#3,89021#1072,648
1985#4,12619#1092,684
1984#3,99019#1052,702
1983#5,14813#1022,771
1982#4,71615#1072,687
1981#6,8049#1122,589
1980#3,85320#1122,671
1979#5,75111#1162,322
1978#4,93113#1222,122
1977#4,65214#1262,134
1976#3,54019#1152,186
1975#4,14115#1152,248
1974#4,72012#1182,231
1973#4,15514#1152,269
1972#5,4809#1102,580
1971#3,94315#993,168
1970#2,93823#913,553
1969#3,31817#763,852
1968#2,87420#743,976
1967#3,48414#614,572
1966#4,19810#574,943
1965#3,05017#595,612
1964#2,53024#536,810
1963#2,61922#566,935
1962#2,26428#537,719
1961#2,60822#518,617
1960#2,64921#508,356
1959#2,76018#508,151
1958#3,23214#498,226
1957#2,72718#488,208
1956#3,49312#448,734
1955#2,97115#439,037
1954#3,01914#438,711
1953#3,48011#438,454
1952#3,20112#428,310
1951#2,69415#408,408
1950#2,90913#417,737
1949#2,72614#457,255
1948#3,35010#467,394
1947#2,27919#457,823
1946#3,9947#496,490
1945#3,1329#525,073
1944#3,3788#554,277
1943#4,6915#673,855
1942#3,7387#813,134
1941#4,4205#842,624
1940#3,8636#882,377
1939#3,7826#852,330
1938#912,241
1937#1031,846
1936#1081,755
1935#1221,425
1934#1241,369
1933#3,4067#1221,345
1932#3,2748#1271,339
1931#4,3315#1201,423
1930#3,0559#1361,301
1929#3,3948#1461,101
1928#3,7437#157964
1927#3,8757#178808
1926#4,8515#174836
1925#179804
1924#217625
1923#221588
1922#256479
1921#5,0995#289375
1920#263433
1919#299330
1918#302333
1917#299310
1916#338251
1915#346238
1914#344184
1913#321158
1912#381102
1911#37955
1910#32159
1909#34845
1908#42931
1907#35938
1906#41128
1905#46323
1904#37929
1903#39325
1902#38027
1901#42220
1900#43027
1899#48116
1898#57314
1897#43819
1896#59213
1895#42621
1894#63111
1893#57212
1892#48017
1891#6359
1890#56612
1889#62810
1888#9176
1887#9215
1886#9595
1885#60410
1884#6639
1883
1882#8376
1881
1880
First appearance
1882

The first year at least five boys were named Alan! It came in at #837, and was given to 6 baby boys.


Quietest stretch: 1883, when fewer than 5 boys a year got the name.

See more about Alan
Momentum · boys
Holding steady
  • 24 spots since 2024 (#167#191)
  • 3 spots since 2020 (#194#191)
  • 24 spots since 2015 (#167#191)
  • Biggest jump: 289 spots in 1889 (#917#628)
  • Biggest drop: 355 spots in 1886 (#604#959)
Rise & fade · boys
69 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1882
  • Peaked 1951 at #40 (8,408 births)
  • Births halved by 1968, 17 yrs later
Top of the charts · boys
Top 100 for 34 yrs
  • Top 10: never
  • Top 100: 34 yrs · run 1938–1971
  • Top 1,000: 143 yrs · run 1884–2025
Share of babies · boys
1 in 224
  • Highest: 1 in 224 boys born in 1951 were named Alan (0.45%)
  • Latest: 1 in 892 boys born in 2025 (0.11%)
Era · boys
The 1950s
  • 23.1% of all boys named Alan (83,976) were born in this decade
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1880s51#604 (1885)#790
1890s144#426 (1895)#539
1900s293#348 (1909)#401
1910s2,020#299 (1919)#333
1920s7,013#146 (1929)#208
1930s16,374#85 (1939)#114
1940s50,302#45 (1947)#61
1950s83,976#40 (1951)#44
1960s61,392#50 (1960)#59
1970s24,813#91 (1970)#113
1980s26,825#102 (1983)#110
1990s24,094#126 (1990)#144
2000s29,647#122 (2006)#138
2010s24,199#153 (2013)#165
2020s12,170#167 (2024)#184

All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 boys in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.

Alan in 1955

girls
#2,971
15 births · 1 in 130,352 girls
boys
#43
9,037 births · 1 in 228 boys

Top girls' names in 1955

  1. #1Mary63,174
  2. #2Deborah52,318
  3. #3Linda51,300
  4. #4Debra50,563
  5. #5Susan47,418
  6. #6Patricia46,226
  7. #7Barbara33,617
  8. #8Karen33,217
  9. #9Nancy30,023
  10. #10Donna27,940
  11. #2,971Alan15

Top boys' names in 1955

  1. #1Michael88,355
  2. #2David86,306
  3. #3James84,186
  4. #4Robert83,758
  5. #5John80,128
  6. #6William59,990
  7. #7Richard53,566
  8. #8Thomas45,855
  9. #9Mark42,255
  10. #10Steven37,847
  11. #43Alan9,037
More about 1955

girls

1,955,277 girls got a published name in 1955; 1 in 130,352 of them was named Alan, which outranked 55.9% of the 6,732 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 22.3% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Alan
  1. #2,839Vici16
  2. #2,839Yvetta16
  3. #2,839Yvonnie16
  4. #2,971Alan15
  5. #2,971Adena15
  6. #2,971Alina15
  7. #2,971Alinda15
  8. #3,095Adair14
  9. #3,095Aleda14
  10. #3,095Alica14

Tied with 123 names at #2,971; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1954
Risers
  1. 793Athena#1,505#712
  2. 675Desiree#984#309
  3. 661Roni#1,197#536
  4. 630Gisele#1,444#814
  5. 593Carmel#1,422#829
Fallers
  1. 514Valinda#806#1,320
  2. 378Elouise#969#1,347
  3. 287Veda#831#1,118
  4. 275Drema#978#1,253
  5. 264Brooke#965#1,229

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

boys

2,059,889 boys got a published name in 1955; 1 in 228 of them was named Alan, which outranked 99.0% of the 4,400 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 32.1% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Alan
  1. #40Brian10,109
  2. #41Patrick9,869
  3. #42Lawrence9,128
  4. #43Alan9,037
  5. #44Wayne8,728
  6. #45Danny8,721
  7. #46Ricky8,329
Biggest movers since 1954
Risers
  1. 808Davy#1,333#525
  2. 326Wyatt#985#659
  3. 323Moises#1,311#988
  4. 296Tad#1,068#772
  5. 286Rhett#1,122#836
Fallers
  1. 738Rahn#908#1,646
  2. 415Ricci#739#1,154
  3. 321Meredith#952#1,273
  4. 309Michial#985#1,294
  5. 282Arvin#973#1,255

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

See the top 100 for 1955