boys' name ★ peaked 1947

Allan

Gender Boy Rank 2025 #1,013 Trend → Stable

A male given name from the Celtic languages, a less common spelling of Alan.

Rank 2025
#1,013
among boys · ↓156 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
223
named Allan · -21% vs 2024
How common
1 in 7,660
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1947
2,192 babies
All-time total
96,711
#322 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Allan popularity over time

96,711 babies have been named Allan since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.380.751.131.518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – 228 228 23 – #313
1890s – 298 298 30 +31% #282
1900s – 533 533 53 +79% #248
1910s – 3,237 3,237 324 +507% #227
1920s 38 6,989 7,027 703 +117% #161
1930s 22 11,359 11,381 1,138 +62% #119
1940s 36 17,830 17,866 1,787 +57% #115
1950s 37 17,697 17,734 1,773 -1% #137
1960s 38 11,110 11,148 1,115 -37% #197
1970s 36 5,911 5,947 595 -47% #267
1980s 41 5,606 5,647 565 -5% #323
1990s 5 5,392 5,397 540 -4% #377
2000s – 5,206 5,206 521 -4% #412
2010s – 3,392 3,392 339 -35% #614
2020s (to 2025) – 1,670 1,670 278 -18% #813

Where Allan is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 221 0.13 outside top 500
2027 219 0.13 outside top 500
2028 218 0.13 outside top 500
2029 217 0.13 outside top 500
2030 216 0.13 outside top 500

Where Allan is most popular

Boys named Allan per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.161 per 1,000. Strongest in Florida, Maryland, and New Jersey.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Allan born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Florida 209 0.441 +174%
Maryland 32 0.268 +66%
New Jersey 46 0.228 +42%
Texas 189 0.215 +33%
New York 85 0.196 +22%
California 173 0.189 +17%
North Carolina 47 0.184 +14%
Massachusetts 25 0.182 +13%
Virginia 31 0.163 ≈ national
Tennessee 29 0.161 ≈ national
Ohio 41 0.155 ≈ national
Pennsylvania 41 0.154 ≈ national
Illinois 33 0.129 -20%
South Carolina 13 0.126 -22%
Alabama 13 0.119 -26%
Georgia 30 0.118 -27%
Washington 18 0.110 -32%
Louisiana 11 0.108 -33%
Nevada 5 0.088 -46%
Arkansas 5 0.079 -51%
Iowa 5 0.073 -55%
Minnesota 8 0.065 -60%
Kentucky 6 0.060 -63%
Wisconsin 7 0.059 -63%
Michigan 8 0.039 -76%
Arizona 5 0.031 -81%
Alaska – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Idaho – – –
Indiana – – –
Kansas – – –
Maine – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
Utah – – –
Vermont – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Allan

Allan is uncommon for boys in the United States, ranked #1,013 in 2025 with 223 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 96,711 American babies have been named Allan. Its peak came in 1947, when 2,192 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1940s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Allan stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Allan?

The median living Allan is about 60 years old; half are between 35 and 73. An estimated 60 thousand people named Allan are alive in the United States today.

median 60 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Allan year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 – – 223 #1,013
2024 – – 283 #857
2023 – – 302 #813
2022 – – 301 #824
2021 – – 283 #840
2020 – – 278 #826
2019 – – 280 #813
2018 – – 294 #782
2017 – – 301 #777
2016 – – 329 #742
2015 – – 392 #659
2014 – – 333 #723
2013 – – 370 #656
2012 – – 340 #695
2011 – – 350 #675
2010 – – 403 #614
2009 – – 471 #561
2008 – – 478 #551
2007 – – 506 #518
2006 – – 514 #504
2005 – – 555 #461
2004 – – 588 #444
2003 – – 625 #412
2002 – – 495 #477
2001 – – 489 #483
2000 – – 485 #483
1995 – – 539 #422
1990 – – 605 #384
1985 6 #9,340 519 #356
1980 – – 538 #343
1975 – – 575 #313
1970 6 #7,085 810 #267
1965 – – 1,094 #219
1960 6 #5,708 1,472 #197
1955 – – 1,841 #157
1950 7 #4,327 1,891 #142
1945 – – 1,582 #137
1940 7 #3,509 1,608 #115
1935 – – 1,015 #150
1930 – – 985 #155
1925 7 #4,038 719 #193
1920 – – 535 #235
1915 – – 441 #227
1910 – – 82 #270
1905 – – 48 #284
1900 – – 64 #254
1895 – – 22 #415
1890 – – 37 #282
1885 – – 19 #411
1880 – – 20 #381

Famous people named Allan

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Allan Saint-Maximin Allan Saint-Maximin French footballer (born 1997) Contemporary
  2. 2 Allan Holdsworth Allan Holdsworth British jazz musician (1946–2017) Contemporary
  3. 3 Allan Houston Allan Houston American basketball player (born 1971) Contemporary
  4. 4 Allan Pinkerton Allan Pinkerton Scottish-American detective (1819–1884) 19th century
  5. 5 Allan Arbus Allan Arbus American actor and photographer (1918–2013) Contemporary
  6. 6 Allan Octavian Hume Allan Octavian Hume British politician and civil servant (1829–1912) 19th century
  7. 7 Allan Simonsen Allan Simonsen Danish footballer and manager (born 1952) Contemporary
  8. 8 Allan Clarke Allan Clarke English footballer b. 1946 · Contemporary
  9. 9 Allan Bloom Allan Bloom American philosopher, classicist, and academician (1930–1992) Contemporary
  10. 10 Allan Kardec Allan Kardec French educator, translator, and writer (1804–1869) 19th century
  11. 11 Allan Warren Allan Warren English photographer (born 1948) Contemporary
  12. 12 Allan McNish Allan McNish British racing driver (born 1969) Contemporary
  13. 13 Allan McGregor Allan McGregor Scottish footballer (born 1982) Contemporary
  14. 14 Allan Nyom Allan Nyom Cameroonian footballer (born 1988) Contemporary
  15. 15 Allan Wells Scottish sprinter b. 1952 · Contemporary
  16. 16 Allan Allan Brazilian footballer b. 1997 · Contemporary
  17. 17 Allan Simonsen Allan Simonsen Danish racing driver (1978–2013) Contemporary
  18. 18 Allan Ramsay Allan Ramsay Scottish painter (1713–1784) 18th century
  19. 19 Allan Williams Allan Williams British businessman and promoter (1930–2016) Contemporary
  20. 20 Allan Dwan Allan Dwan American film director & screenwriter (1885–1981) 19th century

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Allan, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Allan?

The median living Allan is about 60 years old. Half of all living Allans are between 35 and 73 years old.

How many people named Allan are alive today?

An estimated 60 thousand people named Allan are alive in the United States, based on 96,711 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Allan mean?

A male given name from the Celtic languages, a less common spelling of Alan.

How popular is the name Allan in 2025?

Allan ranked #1,013 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 223 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Allan?

96,711 babies have been named Allan in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Allan most popular?

Allan peaked in 1947, when 2,192 newborns received the name.

Is Allan a boy or girl name?

Allan is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Allan rising or falling?

Allan is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Allan become more popular?

Allan looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 216 boys named Allan in 2030, ranking outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Allan?

Well-known people named Allan include Allan Saint-Maximin (soccer player), Allan Holdsworth (musician), Allan Houston (basketball player).

Names like Allan

Names that sound and feel close to Allan: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Allan with similar names → More names starting with A →