Boys' name · peaked in 1947
Allen name popularity since 1925
245,665 babies born in the US from 1925 to 2025 were named Allen (0.6% girls, 99.4% boys). Half of them were born in 1960 or earlier, so the typical Allen is about 66 years old in 2026. Allen peaked in 1947 as the #73 name for boys, and it ranked #578 in 2025.
Key facts
- US babies since 1925
- 245,665
- Named Allen, 1925–2025
- In 2025
- #578
- for boys in 2025 (507 babies)
- Girls / boys
- 99.4% boys
- 1,530 girls · 244,135 boys
- Most popular in
- North Dakota
- 2.09× its national share
Peak year is the year Allen 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.
Allen births per year, 1925–2025
The biggest year by count was 1951. Measured as a share of all babies, Allen peaked in 1947.
Decade by decade
Babies named Allen 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 | 139 | 10,482 | – |
| 1930s | 211 | 24,356 | #83 |
| 1940s | 217 | 39,049 | #74 |
| 1950s | 206 | 47,322 | #84 |
| 1960s | 224 | 37,694 | #92 |
| 1970s | 152 | 21,667 | #127 |
| 1980s | 190 | 21,904 | #128 |
| 1990s | 94 | 16,951 | #197 |
| 2000s | 43 | 12,581 | #271 |
| 2010s | 43 | 8,821 | #349 |
| 2020–25 | 11 | 3,308 | #578 |
Ranks count every name given to at least 5 boys that year, so they can go past 1,000.
Generation fingerprint
35.8% of babies named Allen from 1925 to 2025 were born in the Baby Boom years (1946–1964). The full split by generation:
Where Allen is most popular
The index compares Allen'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 Allen.
| State | Index | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| North Dakota | 2.09× | 1,621 |
| South Dakota | 1.80× | 1,411 |
| Louisiana | 1.70× | 7,488 |
| Vermont | 1.56× | 638 |
| Wisconsin | 1.47× | 7,104 |
Other spellings
Spellings that sound like Allen 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Allen (this page) | 244,135 | 1947 |
| Allan | 89,167 | 1938 |
| Allyn | 2,907 | 1931 |
| Alen | 2,342 | 2005 |
Names with a similar story
Of the other 499 names on this site, these six had the share of babies closest in shape to Allen's from 1925 to 2025, however common each one got. Each line is scaled to its own high; the dashed line is Allen.
Names from the same era
Other common names that peaked within two years of Allen (1947).
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