Boys' name · since 1882
Alan
Since 1882, U.S. Social Security records show 363,313 babies named Alan, peaking in 1955. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #94 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #191 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 363,313
- born since 1882
- 1950s
- peak decade
Alan currently ranks #191 among boys' names in America, with 363,313 babies recorded since 1882.
Social Security Administration records show Alan recorded 363,313 times among boys since 1882, holding rank #191 nationally today, ahead of 99% of boys, peaking in the 1950s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1882 to 2025.
- #94 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #191 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 363,313 born since 1882
- 1950s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Alan ranks #94 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #191 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 363,313 born since 1882, peaking in the 1950s.
- #94 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #191 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 363,313
- born since 1882
- 1950s
- peak decade
Alan's 363,313 recorded births place it above 99.79% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Alan compares
363,313 Top 1% higher than 99% of 13,930 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Alan's all-time total is 985x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Alan | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 363,313 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 9,037 | 34 | 22,252 |
Alan's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Alan's full recorded timeline at 1954, 70% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 30% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1886, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1955 peak of 9,037 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Alan popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1882–2025
- Peak year (1955)
- 9,037
- Annual births at peak, across 144 years of records
Alan popularity over time - girls
1,076 total births recorded since 1921 (Alan as girls' name)
Alan by decade
1950s is the heaviest window (83,976 births, 23% of the file).
1950s was Alan's strongest decade.
83,976 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 23% of all-time use.
Alan births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 51
1880s
51 births
- 1890s 144
1890s
144 births
- 1900s 293
1900s
293 births
- 1910s 2,020
1910s
2,020 births
- 1920s 7,013
1920s
7,013 births
- 1930s 16,374
1930s
16,374 births
- 1940s
1940s
50,302 births
- 1950s
1950s
83,976 births
- 1960s
1960s
61,392 births
- 1970s 24,813
1970s
24,813 births
- 1980s 26,825
1980s
26,825 births
- 1990s 24,094
1990s
24,094 births
- 2000s 29,647
2000s
29,647 births
- 2010s 24,199
2010s
24,199 births
- 2020s 12,170
2020s
12,170 births
What this shows Peak: 1950s at 83,976 births (23% of all-time use).
How Alan compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Alan's total volume
Alan by state
Where Alan concentrates geographically, total births since 1882
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 44,072 | 12.1% |
| #2 | New York | | 39,447 | 10.9% |
| #3 | Texas | | 24,621 | 6.8% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 21,252 | 5.8% |
| #5 | Pennsylvania | | 17,900 | 4.9% |
| #6 | Ohio | | 15,260 | 4.2% |
| #7 | Michigan | | 15,103 | 4.2% |
| #8 | Massachusetts | | 12,967 | 3.6% |
44,072 of 363,313 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Alan appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Alan? ▼
Where does Alan sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Alan most popular? ▼
Where is Alan most popular? ▼
How long has the name Alan been used? ▼
What names are similar to Alan? ▼
What to do with Alan's data
- Alan's decade-level peak was the 1950s (83,976 total births); usage has since declined to 12,170 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Alans (44,072 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Alan
Nearby Names Like Alan
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Alan
Compare Alan side by side: Alan vs Alain Alan vs Alaric Alan vs Alastair
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Alan
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Alan: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1955)
Similar record span (~143 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1882–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Alan draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.