Boys' name · peaked in 1951
Alan name popularity since 1925
359,376 babies born in the US from 1925 to 2025 were named Alan. Half of them were born in 1962 or earlier, so the typical Alan is about 64 years old in 2026. Alan peaked in 1951 as the #40 name for boys, and it ranked #191 in 2025.
Key facts
- US babies since 1925
- 359,376
- Named Alan, 1925–2025
- In 2025
- #191
- for boys in 2025 (1,915 babies)
- Girls / boys
- 99.7% boys
- 1,071 girls · 358,305 boys
- Most popular in
- Hawaii
- 2.13× its national share
Peak year is the year Alan made up the largest share of US boys, in records going back to 1880. Typical age is based on births from 1925 on, not on who is living today.
Alan births per year, 1925–2025
The biggest year by count was 1955. Measured as a share of all babies, Alan peaked in 1951.
- Fastest rise: Between 1942 and 1947, Alan became 1.9× more common, from 1 in 441 baby boys to 1 in 234.
- Steepest fall: Between 1967 and 1972, its share of baby boys fell by 39%, from 1 in 381 to 1 in 629.
Shaded on the chart. Both compare Alan's share of all US boys five years apart, counting only years with at least 100 babies named Alan.
Decade by decade
Babies named Alan in each decade, and its rank among boys' names in the middle year of the decade (1935, 1945 … 2025).
| Decade | Girls | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1925–29 | 27 | 4,513 | – |
| 1930s | 35 | 16,374 | #122 |
| 1940s | 90 | 50,302 | #52 |
| 1950s | 142 | 83,976 | #43 |
| 1960s | 195 | 61,392 | #59 |
| 1970s | 145 | 24,813 | #115 |
| 1980s | 172 | 26,825 | #109 |
| 1990s | 104 | 24,094 | #153 |
| 2000s | 94 | 29,647 | #128 |
| 2010s | 67 | 24,199 | #167 |
| 2020–25 | 0 | 12,170 | #191 |
Ranks count every name given to at least 5 boys that year, so they can go past 1,000.
Generation fingerprint
42.2% of babies named Alan from 1925 to 2025 were born in the Baby Boom years (1946–1964). The full split by generation:
Where Alan is most popular
The index compares Alan's share of babies in each state with its share nationwide, 1925–2025 (1.50× = 50% more common). States with at least 300 babies named Alan.
| State | Index | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | 2.13× | 2,403 |
| Vermont | 1.69× | 1,021 |
| Rhode Island | 1.57× | 2,005 |
| Maine | 1.53× | 2,360 |
| Massachusetts | 1.48× | 12,702 |
Other spellings
Spellings that sound like Alan and were given to at least 1,000 boys from 1925 to 2025, with the year each one was most popular.
| Spelling | Boys | Peak year |
|---|---|---|
| Alan (this page) | 358,305 | 1951 |
| Allan | 89,167 | 1938 |
| Alen | 2,342 | 2005 |
| Alon | 1,188 | 2022 |
Names with a similar story
Of the other 499 names on this site, these six had the share of babies closest in shape to Alan's from 1925 to 2025, however common each one got. Each line is scaled to its own high; the dashed line is Alan.
Names from the same era
Other common names that peaked within two years of Alan (1951).
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration national and state baby-name data, which covers names given to at least 5 babies of one sex in a year. About the data