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Boy · Celtic (probably Breton)
Alain
Say it: ah-LAN
Meaning
Uncertain. From a Breton or Celtic name Alan; proposals include 'rock' or 'harmony', and some link it to the Alans, an Iranian people.
Uncertainseveral explanations, none settled.
A Breton ducal name and one of the top French names of the 1950s.
Its wave through time
Popular now
In the United States
- 3,754 babies given this name since 1942
- At its height in 1987, about 1 in 21,000 boys
- 47 babies in 2020
Through the ages
Used by
The family of the name
| English | Alan |
|---|---|
| Breton | Alan |
Famous bearers
- Alain Delon, actor
Names worth a look
Where this comes from
- Royal and noble genealogies
- National birth statistics of European countries source
- United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source
Meanings and histories are compiled from the study of names and their languages and checked by a second review.
Meanings and histories are drawn from the study of names and their languages, each with a confidence rating; popularity figures come from official birth records. Name histories are a living field: if you know of a correction, we would be glad to hear it.