Allen

Origin: Variant of Alan · Origin disputed; possibly linked to a word for noble (from Old Breton)

Boy's name · #578 in the US (2025) · Timeless

Popularity over time

Allen holds its lane: charted since 1880 and rarely far from where it stands today (#578 in 2025). About 272,000 boys have carried it along the way. In all that time it has never once missed a year of the national records.

Across the states

See where Allen is more common.

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 35 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Around the world

See how Allen ranks in other countries and regions.

#794 in Ecuador (2025) · #1,041 in Canada (2024).

Famous Allens

Allen Ginsberg — American poet and writer (1926–1997)
Allen Iverson — American basketball player
Allen W. Dulles — First civilian and longest-serving Director of Central Intelligence (DCI)
Allen Newell — American cognitive scientist (1927–1992)
Allen Johnson — American hurdler

As a surname

It is also an American family name — about 483,000 people carried it as a surname in the 2010 census.

Woody Allen — American filmmaker, actor and comedian (born 1935)
Paul Allen — American businessman and philanthropist, co-founder of Microsoft (1953–2018)
Lily Allen — British singer and actress

In stories & tradition

Allen Walker — D.Gray-man (manga)
Allen Francis Doyle — Buffyverse
Allen Snider^ja — Street Fighter (video game series)

What Allens become

Among 1,221 notable people named Allen:

No single standout — notable Allens spread across many fields.

Spellings & nicknames

Together with its spelling variants Alan (#191) and Allan (#1013), Allen would rank around #137 with about 2,600 births last year — the newborns split about 73/19/8 across Alan, Allen, and Allan.

Similar names: Allan · Philip · Alec · Marvin · Alvin · Glenn

Browse more boy names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

About · Privacy Policy · Terms of Service