This surname is derived from the name of an ancestor. 'the son of Allen,' which see.

Hugh fil. Aleyn, Oxfordshire, 1273. Hundred Rolls.

Johannes Alynson, 1379: Poll Tax of Yorkshire.

Robertus Alaynson, 1379: ibid.

John Allevnsone. Guild of St. George, Norwich.

William Aleynsonne. Rotuli Normanniae in Turri Londinensi.

George Alonsonne. Calendar of Pleadings, temp. Elizabeth I.

William Allenson, Norfolk, 1625: History of Norfolk.

1782. Married — James Read and Agnes Alinson: St. George, Hanover Square.

(a) Local, 'de Alencon,' in Normandy. Probably in some cases this is the true solution.

John de Alencon, I Ric. I: History of Norfolk.

Robert de Alenson, Norfolk, 1220: ibid.

Herbert de Alencun, sheriff of Norfolk, 25 Henry III: ibid.

William de Alencon, Norfolk, 6 Ric. III: ibid.

William Allenson, Norfolk, 1625: ibid.

"The son of Allan," which see. Rendered in Latin documents by the genitive Alani. Reginald filius Alani was a burgess of Aberdeen in 1317 (SCM., V, p. 10). Ada filius Alani occurs in 1326 (ER., I, p. 53), another Ada filius Alani de Dunbretane witnessed a charter by Donald, earl of Lennox after 1334 (Levenax, p. 93), and in the reign of Robert I the 20 pound land of Sproustoun was forfeited by John, Thomas, and William filii Alani (RMS., I, App. II, 285). William Aleynsson, a Scots prisoner of war, was discharged from Newgate prison in 1375 (Bain, IV, 227), Robert Alanson had a safe conduct to trade in England with Scottish merchandise in 1447 (Bain, IV, 1190), Catharine Alanesoun and her father John Alansone of Edinburgh are mentioned in 1459 (REG., p. 412), the house of John Allansone in Leyth is referred to in 1462 (Soltre, p. 65), and in the same year "Sir" Alexander Alanesoun, chaplain, appears as a witness in Edinburgh (Laing, 147). A payment was made to William Alynson, "Scotte," for his labor in "spying into certain matters touching the king's good" in 1463 (Bain, IV, 1333). In the same year safe conducts were granted for Andrew Aleynson and William Aleynson, Scotsmen (ibid., 1338), and in 1471 letters of denisation were issued in favor of Thomas Aleinson, a native of Scotland (ibid., 1399). Bartholomew Alansoun had remission for his part in burning the town of Dunbertane, 1489 (Lennox, II, p. 133), and William Alansoun was a friar preacher in St. Andrews in 1545 (Laint, 494). A sent of the Macallans (Clan Ranald Macdonalds), are also known as Allansons, from the chief's designation of Mac'ic-Ailein. Alanesone 1489, Alensone 1582, Allansoune 1545, Allasone 1520.

Allan’s Son: v. Allan, Allen.

Allinson was a name well known in York in the 17th century. William Allenson, draper, who received the honour of knighthood and represented that city in Parliament, was lord mayor of York in 1633 and 1655 (D.).

 The origins of the name remain uncertain. It is possible that it derives from ‘the Alan’, meaning a member of the nomadic Scythian tribe which emerged from Central Asia in the centuries before the birth of Christ. The first references to the name are found in early Breton ballads. Here the name occurs in the form ‘Alamn’. The name soon standardised to Alan in Old Breton and Alain in Old French, though it remained a Breton name. Its popularity increased as a result of one Alan, Bishop of Quimper, a Welsh-Breton, whose holy life led him to become the first St Alan. It is perhaps from the example of St Alan that it was said in those days that the name Alan meant ‘harmony’, though this remains unconfirmed from etymological sources.

The name Alan first came to England with the Norman Conquest. Amongst William the Conqueror’s companies in arms were several Alans (and Alains), notably Alain le Roux (Alan the Red). After the Conquest, along with several other Breton first names, the first name Alan became widespread in England. Several remain popular as surnames to this day. Examples include Brett, Jewell, Brian, Justin and Wymark.

Curiously, the first name Alan became most popular in England in its Old French form of Alain, rather than the Old Breton form of Alan. In the centuries after the Conquest this name was found most frequently in Lincolnshire, where many of William the Conqueror’s Breton soldiers settled as farmers. The first recorded English mention of the surname dates from the earliest records of the Domesday Book which record a certain Alanus in Suffolk in 1086. This is the Latinised form of the name; the additional ‘-us’ may well have been little more than a clerical formalisation (Latin being the prevalent written language of the time). The name also appears in this form in the Domesday records for Lincolnshire in 1150.

The name Allen as a surname, and as a first name (with various spellings in both cases), is also popular in Scotland, though there is no question of Breton links in these cases as this part of Britain was not subject to Norman conquest. Here the name derives from the Gaelic personal name Ailin, from ‘ail’-‘stone’. It may thus be originally a place name-for a man who lived by, or under a large, prominent stone or rock; or in some cases it may have been a nickname, attributing stoniness-either of strength, or character, or brain-to its owner. These early nicknames were often the result of local wit-and were often ironic-the local Alan (or stone) could therefore frequently have been not the village Sampson, but rather the village simpleton or weakling.

As Allan (the most frequent Scottish form) this name is often found in Northumbria. Here some of the derivations are doubtless from the Breton, though the large majority are of Scottish (Gaelic) origin.

Allens can take pride in two of Ireland’s most notable geographic features-the Bog of Allen, over 378 square miles of peat bogs in East Central Eire; and Lough Allen, on the Shannon, which is 8 miles long and up to 3 miles wide.

Allen’s rule is the zoological principle that cold-climate animals have shorter smaller appendages and thus keep body heat loss down. It is named after US zoologist, Joel Asaph Allen.

The surname boasts six Lord Mayors of London: Roger FitzAlan (1212—14), Peter FitzAlan (1246), Sir John Aleyn (1525 and 1535), William Allen (1571) Thomas Alleyn (1659) and William Allen (1867).

The Van Allen radiation belts, 600 miles from the earth, have a major effect on our planet’s atmosphere and rotation. They’re named after their American discoverer, physicist James Alfred Van Allen (b. 1914—).

The British Field Marshal, Viscount Allenby, Edmund Henry Hynman (1861—1936), is best remembered today for his invasion of Palestine during World War I, when he captured Jerusalem. This led to the fall of Damascus, and ultimately Turkey itself. The Allenby Bridge, which today links Israel and Jordan across the Jordan River, is named after him.

There are 5 towns in the United Kingdom which contain either Allan or Allen in their names. These range from Allanaquoich to Allensmore. The United States has 5 towns named Allen, along with another 8 towns which have Allen contained in their names. Both Syria and the United Kingdom have Allan Rivers, while New Zealand and the United States have Mount Allens.

With about 128,000 namesakes, Allen is the 39th most popular surname in England and Wales, while Allan, with about 16,000, is the 41st most popular surname in Scotland. Allen is notably popular in and around Leicester where an estimated one in about 300 families bears the name. In descending numerical order Nottingham, Sheffield and Birmingham are other Allen strongholds. Around the world, Allens are most common in Canberra (one in 500 families), Melbourne (one in 578) and Auckland (one in 680). The United States has more Allens than the entire population of Bristol-an estimated total of just over 480,000 makes this their 25th most popular name.