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.