US rank #852 Boys' name Peak 1947 96,230 births

Allan — #852 US boys' name

96,230 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.

1880s2281890s2981900s5331910s32371920s69891930s113591940s178291950s176961960s111081970s59111980s56051990s53932000s52062010s33912020s1447
#852
of 14,243 boys in use

More common than 94% of names given to boys today.

1940s
Peak decade

19% 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.

What the Data Says About Allan

The Social Security Administration has registered 96,230 babies named Allan between 1880 and 2024, spanning 145 consecutive years of U.S. birth records. As a boy's name, Allan currently holds the #852 rank among boys for 2024. The name reached its historical peak in 1947, when 2,187 babies received it in a single year.

Decade-level aggregation shows that Allan performed strongest in the 1940s, accumulating 17,829 births during that ten-year window. Across the 15 decades of recorded activity, Allan shows a clear decline from its mid-century high. Geographically, the name is most concentrated in New York, which accounts for 11,715 births — the largest state-level total in the dataset — followed by California and Illinois. In total, SSA state-level files list Allan in 51 of the 51 U.S. reporting jurisdictions.

No etymological entry is currently available for Allan in our reference dataset. These figures derive from SSA's annual national and state-level name files, which include any name appearing at least five times in a given year or state-year; names below that threshold are suppressed for privacy and therefore excluded from the totals shown here. The 96,230 total represents a lower bound — actual usage may be higher in years or states where the count fell below the disclosure floor. This page is provided for informational and research purposes only and does not constitute personal, legal, or naming advice.

Allan at a glance

Top 1,000 boys' name

Total births

96,230

Since 1880

145 years of records

Peak year

1947

2,187 births that year

Strongest decade: 1940s

Current rank

#852

Among boys

As of 2024

Active since

1880

Recorded for 145 years

Last year on file: 2024

Allan popularity over time — boys

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 2024–1880

Top 1,000 boys' name
Peak year (1947)
2,187
Annual births at peak — across 145 years of records
-50005001,0001,5002,0002,500 202420051986196719481929191018911880 20

Allan popularity over time — girls

253 total births recorded since 1922 (Allan as girls' name)

Unisex variant — 253 births
468101214 19941983197319631952194419291922 5

Allan by decade

Total births in each ten-year window — peak vs trough at a glance

Peak: 1940s
Peak decade
1940s
17,829 births that decade — 19% of Allan's all-time total
1880s2281890s2981900s5331910s32371920s69891930s113591940s178291950s176961960s111081970s59111980s56051990s53932000s52062010s33912020s1447

Allan by state

Where Allan concentrates geographically — total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Allan
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 New York
11,715 12.2%
#2 California
9,494 9.9%
#3 Illinois
5,632 5.9%
#4 Pennsylvania
5,114 5.3%
#5 Michigan
4,732 4.9%
#6 Texas
4,379 4.6%
#7 Ohio
4,174 4.3%
#8 Massachusetts
3,904 4.1%
New York share of Allan's total US births 12.2%
Even split

11,715 of 96,230 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?
96,230 babies have been named Allan since 1880. It currently ranks #852 among boys. The peak year was 1947 with 2,187 births.
When was Allan most popular?
Allan was most popular in the 1940s decade with 17,829 total births. The single peak year was 1947.
Where is Allan most popular?
The top states for the name Allan are New York (11,715 births), California (9,494 births), Illinois (5,632 births).
How long has the name Allan been used?
Allan has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 145 years of data through 2024.
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.

Keep exploring Allan

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Data Sources

Data as of 2024. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).

Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications — National Data, 1880–2024 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames). National-level data includes all names with 5 or more occurrences in a given year.

State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names — State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip). Includes all names with 5 or more occurrences per state per year; rarer names are excluded for privacy.