Total births
96,458
Boys' name · since 1880
Allan
96,458 babies named Allan in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1947. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #858
- among boys today
- 96,458
- born since 1880
- 1940s
- peak decade
- 94%
- more common than other boys
Allan currently ranks #858 among boys' names in America, with 96,458 babies recorded since 1880.
Allan has 96,458 recorded births among boys since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #858 as of the latest data, more common than 94% of boys, busiest in the 1940s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #858 among boys today
- 96,458 born since 1880
- 1940s peak decade
- 94% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Allan is currently the #858 boys' name in America, more common than 94% of boys - 96,458 born since 1880, peaking in the 1940s.
- #858
- among boys today
- 96,458
- born since 1880
- 1940s
- peak decade
- 94%
- more common than other boys
Allan vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#858
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 94% of names given to boys today.
1940s
Peak decade
18% of everyone ever named Allan was born in this single decade.
1947
Single peak year
2,187 babies were named Allan in 1947 - its busiest year on record.
How Allan compares
96,458 Top 2% higher than 98% of 14,294 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
Allan's all-time total is 263x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Allan | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 96,458 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 2,187 | 23 | 22,252 |
Allan's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Allan's full recorded timeline at 1953, 52% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 48% in the earlier half -- a fairly even split across the full record. Its quietest year on record was 1882, with just 15 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1947 peak of 2,187 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Allan at a glance
Top 1,000 boys' namePeak year
1947
Current rank
#858
Active since
1880
Allan popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1947)
- 2,187
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Allan popularity over time - girls
253 total births recorded since 1922 (Allan as girls' name)
Allan by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1940s was Allan's strongest decade.
17,830 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 18% of all-time use.
Allan births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 228
1880s
228 births
- 1890s 298
1890s
298 births
- 1900s 533
1900s
533 births
- 1910s 3,237
1910s
3,237 births
- 1920s 6,989
1920s
6,989 births
- 1930s
1930s
11,359 births
- 1940s
1940s
17,830 births
- 1950s
1950s
17,697 births
- 1960s
1960s
11,110 births
- 1970s 5,911
1970s
5,911 births
- 1980s 5,606
1980s
5,606 births
- 1990s 5,392
1990s
5,392 births
- 2000s 5,206
2000s
5,206 births
- 2010s 3,392
2010s
3,392 births
- 2020s 1,670
2020s
1,670 births
What this shows Peak: 1940s at 17,830 births (18% of all-time use).
How Allan 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 Allan's total volume
Allan vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Allan by state
Where Allan concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 11,729 | 12.2% |
| #2 | California | | 9,517 | 9.9% |
| #3 | Illinois | | 5,645 | 5.9% |
| #4 | Pennsylvania | | 5,126 | 5.3% |
| #5 | Michigan | | 4,732 | 4.9% |
| #6 | Texas | | 4,413 | 4.6% |
| #7 | Ohio | | 4,181 | 4.3% |
| #8 | Massachusetts | | 3,903 | 4.0% |
New York share of Allan's total US births 12.2%
Even split
11,729 of 96,458 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Allan appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Allan? ▼
Allan has been given to 96,458 babies in the U.S. since 1880, according to SSA data. Among boys, it ranks #858 as of the latest data. 2,187 babies were born in 1947, its single highest year.
When was Allan most popular? ▼
Allan was most popular in the 1940s decade with 17,830 total births. The single peak year was 1947.
Where is Allan most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Allan are New York (11,729 births), California (9,517 births), Illinois (5,645 births).
How long has the name Allan been used? ▼
Allan has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 146 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Allan? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Allen, Allison, Allyn, Allie, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Allan's data
- Allan's decade-level peak was the 1940s (17,830 total births); usage has since declined to 1,670 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Allans (11,729 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Allan
Nearby Names Like Allan
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Allan
Allen Boy
#572 271,796 births
Allison Boy
#8996 3,825 births
Allyn Boy
#9033 3,223 births
Allie Boy
3,121 births
Allister Boy
#2605 1,250 births
Compare Allan side by side: Allan vs Allen Allan vs Allison Allan vs Allyn
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Allan
Data Sources
Data as of June 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, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Allan: #858 Boys' Name - 96,458 Births, Peak 1947." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/allan. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
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 Allan 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 June 2026.