Allen
Allen was given to 507 boys in 2025, #578 among boys’ names; 273,662 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 164,000 Americans named Allen and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (60% of everyone recorded); the median is 57 years old and half are between 36 and 70.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Allen by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Allen mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Allen is “a male given name from the Celtic languages, a variant of Alan; in modern use often transferred from the surname.”
Also “an English and Scottish surname transferred from the given name derived from the given name Alan.”
/ˈæ.lən/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Allen?
#578 among boys’ names, 2025
Allen fell from #349 in 2015 to #578 in 2025 among boys’ names; its share of boys born fell from 0.51 to 0.30 per 1,000.
5,203 babies in 1951, the peak
Allen peaked in 1951, when 5,203 babies were given it (5,179 boys, #72 among boys’ names). The 507 births of 2025 are 10% of that peak.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 507 | #578 | 0.30 |
| 2024 | 502 | #572 | 0.29 |
| 2023 | 573 | #517 | 0.33 |
| 2022 | 529 | #561 | 0.30 |
| 2021 | 559 | #524 | 0.32 |
| 2020 | 638 | #463 | 0.37 |
| 2019 | 702 | #436 | 0.39 |
| 2018 | 741 | #421 | 0.41 |
| 2017 | 791 | #403 | 0.43 |
| 2016 | 895 | #370 | 0.47 |
Every recorded year (146)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 976 | #349 | 0.51 |
| 2014 | 860 | #367 | 0.45 |
| 2013 | 917 | #348 | 0.48 |
| 2012 | 959 | #329 | 0.51 |
| 2011 | 1,005 | #317 | 0.53 |
| 2010 | 975 | #322 | 0.51 |
| 2009 | 1,039 | #310 | 0.52 |
| 2008 | 1,139 | #293 | 0.56 |
| 2007 | 1,198 | #287 | 0.58 |
| 2006 | 1,229 | #283 | 0.60 |
| 2005 | 1,231 | #271 | 0.62 |
| 2004 | 1,303 | #255 | 0.66 |
| 2003 | 1,318 | #250 | 0.67 |
| 2002 | 1,384 | #246 | 0.71 |
| 2001 | 1,389 | #243 | 0.71 |
| 2000 | 1,351 | #249 | 0.69 |
| 1999 | 1,315 | #244 | 0.68 |
| 1998 | 1,316 | #239 | 0.69 |
| 1997 | 1,408 | #218 | 0.75 |
| 1996 | 1,468 | #212 | 0.77 |
| 1995 | 1,550 | #197 | 0.81 |
| 1994 | 1,747 | #179 | 0.90 |
| 1993 | 1,900 | #168 | 1.0 |
| 1992 | 1,919 | #165 | 1.0 |
| 1991 | 2,108 | #154 | 1.0 |
| 1990 | 2,220 | #141 | 1.1 |
| 1989 | 2,362 | #130 | 1.2 |
| 1988 | 2,208 | #134 | 1.2 |
| 1987 | 2,172 | #128 | 1.2 |
| 1986 | 2,120 | #128 | 1.2 |
| 1985 | 2,187 | #128 | 1.2 |
| 1984 | 2,121 | #128 | 1.2 |
| 1983 | 2,247 | #120 | 1.3 |
| 1982 | 2,216 | #122 | 1.2 |
| 1981 | 2,061 | #131 | 1.2 |
| 1980 | 2,210 | #124 | 1.2 |
| 1979 | 1,937 | #139 | 1.1 |
| 1978 | 1,828 | #145 | 1.1 |
| 1977 | 1,818 | #144 | 1.1 |
| 1976 | 1,968 | #134 | 1.3 |
| 1975 | 2,031 | #127 | 1.3 |
| 1974 | 2,102 | #125 | 1.3 |
| 1973 | 2,077 | #124 | 1.3 |
| 1972 | 2,302 | #123 | 1.4 |
| 1971 | 2,671 | #120 | 1.5 |
| 1970 | 2,933 | #113 | 1.6 |
| 1969 | 2,885 | #111 | 1.6 |
| 1968 | 2,961 | #100 | 1.7 |
| 1967 | 3,123 | #100 | 1.8 |
| 1966 | 3,420 | #97 | 1.9 |
| 1965 | 3,834 | #92 | 2.1 |
| 1964 | 4,098 | #93 | 2.1 |
| 1963 | 4,339 | #90 | 2.1 |
| 1962 | 4,272 | #93 | 2.1 |
| 1961 | 4,391 | #96 | 2.1 |
| 1960 | 4,371 | #99 | 2.0 |
| 1959 | 4,366 | #97 | 2.0 |
| 1958 | 4,527 | #92 | 2.1 |
| 1957 | 4,412 | #91 | 2.0 |
| 1956 | 4,612 | #87 | 2.2 |
| 1955 | 4,744 | #84 | 2.3 |
| 1954 | 4,832 | #82 | 2.4 |
| 1953 | 4,854 | #81 | 2.5 |
| 1952 | 4,956 | #78 | 2.5 |
| 1951 | 5,179 | #72 | 2.8 |
| 1950 | 4,840 | #71 | 2.7 |
| 1949 | 4,735 | #71 | 2.7 |
| 1948 | 4,755 | #72 | 2.7 |
| 1947 | 5,075 | #73 | 2.8 |
| 1946 | 4,294 | #74 | 2.6 |
| 1945 | 3,481 | #74 | 2.6 |
| 1944 | 3,422 | #77 | 2.5 |
| 1943 | 3,627 | #76 | 2.5 |
| 1942 | 3,571 | #71 | 2.6 |
| 1941 | 3,060 | #73 | 2.5 |
| 1940 | 3,029 | #71 | 2.6 |
| 1939 | 2,928 | #72 | 2.6 |
| 1938 | 2,834 | #73 | 2.6 |
| 1937 | 2,518 | #76 | 2.4 |
| 1936 | 2,314 | #81 | 2.2 |
| 1935 | 2,312 | #83 | 2.2 |
| 1934 | 2,241 | #88 | 2.2 |
| 1933 | 2,204 | #84 | 2.2 |
| 1932 | 2,419 | #80 | 2.3 |
| 1931 | 2,308 | #79 | 2.2 |
| 1930 | 2,278 | #85 | 2.1 |
| 1929 | 2,189 | #86 | 2.0 |
| 1928 | 2,137 | #93 | 1.9 |
| 1927 | 2,101 | #95 | 1.9 |
| 1926 | 2,021 | #93 | 1.8 |
| 1925 | 2,034 | #94 | 1.8 |
| 1924 | 2,045 | #94 | 1.8 |
| 1923 | 1,875 | #97 | 1.7 |
| 1922 | 1,887 | #95 | 1.7 |
| 1921 | 1,937 | #94 | 1.8 |
| 1920 | 1,866 | #94 | 1.8 |
| 1919 | 1,653 | #101 | 1.7 |
| 1918 | 1,779 | #98 | 1.8 |
| 1917 | 1,592 | #100 | 1.7 |
| 1916 | 1,572 | #101 | 1.8 |
| 1915 | 1,458 | #99 | 1.7 |
| 1914 | 1,049 | #105 | 1.6 |
| 1913 | 903 | #100 | 1.8 |
| 1912 | 730 | #103 | 1.7 |
| 1911 | 402 | #98 | 1.8 |
| 1910 | 355 | #92 | 1.8 |
| 1909 | 312 | #93 | 1.9 |
| 1908 | 287 | #92 | 1.9 |
| 1907 | 309 | #85 | 2.1 |
| 1906 | 282 | #84 | 2.1 |
| 1905 | 272 | #88 | 2.1 |
| 1904 | 228 | #96 | 1.8 |
| 1903 | 219 | #91 | 1.8 |
| 1902 | 227 | #89 | 1.9 |
| 1901 | 199 | #88 | 1.9 |
| 1900 | 223 | #104 | 1.5 |
| 1899 | 191 | #91 | 1.8 |
| 1898 | 185 | #103 | 1.5 |
| 1897 | 226 | #82 | 2.0 |
| 1896 | 219 | #91 | 1.8 |
| 1895 | 196 | #98 | 1.7 |
| 1894 | 219 | #89 | 1.9 |
| 1893 | 180 | #99 | 1.6 |
| 1892 | 224 | #89 | 1.8 |
| 1891 | 173 | #94 | 1.7 |
| 1890 | 189 | #90 | 1.7 |
| 1889 | 222 | #79 | 2.0 |
| 1888 | 260 | #75 | 2.2 |
| 1887 | 202 | #81 | 2.0 |
| 1886 | 211 | #82 | 1.9 |
| 1885 | 184 | #87 | 1.7 |
| 1884 | 182 | #87 | 1.6 |
| 1883 | 175 | #82 | 1.7 |
| 1882 | 206 | #80 | 1.8 |
| 1881 | 172 | #80 | 1.7 |
| 1880 | 184 | #82 | 1.7 |
Ranks and shares: boys’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all boys SSA recorded that year.
Is Allen a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Allen has been given almost only to boys: 1,866 girls in 146 years of records.
Girls and boys named Allen: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Allen, and how old are they?
164,000 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 60% of the 273,662 Americans ever recorded as Allen. The median Allen alive today is 57 years old; half are between 36 and 70.
The 2020 Census counted 166,924 people named Allen (897 women and girls, 166,027 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 178,697 born in the U.S. The Census count is 7% below that prediction.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 10,800 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 57,800 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 35,300 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 31,200 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 19,300 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 9,160 |
An estimate, not a count. SSA’s files count people born in the United States who received a Social Security number, so anyone born abroad is not in them; before 1937 most people got a number as adults, and their survival is counted from that age.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named Allen born?
The states with the most babies named Allen are California, New York and Texas, with 20% of its births recorded by state since 1910.
| State | Since 1910 | Rank, boys | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 20,346 | #491 | 0.9× |
| New York | 17,715 | #745 | 0.8× |
| Texas | 15,337 | #595 | 0.9× |
| Pennsylvania | 14,583 | #343 | 0.9× |
| Illinois | 12,898 | #607 | 0.9× |
| Ohio | 12,229 | #514 | 0.9× |
| Michigan | 11,073 | #517 | 1.0× |
| North Carolina | 8,852 | #778 | 1.1× |
| Louisiana | 8,368 | #293 | 1.6× |
| Florida | 7,825 | #571 | 1.1× |
Where Allen is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Allen is most over-represented in Louisiana: since 1910 it was given 1.6 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among boys’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of Allen with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names spelled alike
Of these 8 names spelled alike, given to 748,165 babies since 1880, Allen is the second most given (37% of them). In 2025 it was given to 507 of their 2,822 babies (18%), again the second most given.
Spelled alike: names in the SSA national file with the same pattern of letters and sounds and at most two letters apart, and Wiktionary’s listed forms; births since 1880 and in 2025, and each name’s peak year, from the SSA national file, published May 8, 2026. Some are separate names, not spellings of one.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Allen
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about Allen and names like it
- Compare Allen and AlanBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 1950sAllen peaked in 1951.
- California’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Allen since 1910.
- The top names of 1951The year the most babies were named Allen.
- The names of the Baby BoomersMost people named Allen alive today were born 1946-1964.
- Names starting with AMost given first.