Celtic · Boy name
Alan
“uncertain; possibly little rock or handsome”
About the name Alan
Alan is an old Celtic name of uncertain meaning. It may come from a Breton or Old Irish word meaning ‘little rock’, or from a word for ‘handsome’, but neither derivation is certain. Bretons brought the name to England with William the Conqueror in the eleventh century; Alan Rufus, a Breton noble, became one of the largest landholders in Norman England. Later bearers include the mathematician Alan Turing, a founder of computer science.
- Meaning
- uncertain; possibly little rock or handsome
- Origin
- Celtic
- Gender
- Boy
- Pronunciation
- AL-an(2 syl.)
Middle names for Alan
- Alan James
- Alan Michael
- Alan Robert
- Alan Thomas
- Alan William
Questions about Alan
- What does Alan mean?
- Alan is a Celtic name meaning "uncertain; possibly little rock or handsome".
- How do you pronounce Alan?
- Alan is pronounced AL-an, with emphasis on the first syllable.
- What are variants of Alan?
- Variants of Alan include Allan, Allen, Alain, Ailín.