Scottish, Celtic, English

English speaking countries

The name Alan is of Celtic origin and was introduced to the English by the Breton followers of William the Conqueror. The exact meaning of the name is not entirely known although "rock" seems to be the most probable. There are many variations of this name.

As the English form of Alain, Alan is believed to be related to the Latin Alani, "the Alans", from a people leaving on the shore of the Black Sea.

There were four Dukes of Brittany named Alan. Other notable bearers include actor Alan Rickman, footballer Alan Shearer and mathematician Alan Turing, who designed the Turing Test as a means of testing the artificial intelligence of computers.