| ![Show Contents]() Alan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
Etymology of AlanWhat does the name Alan mean? The history of the name Alan began when it was derived from the given name Alan, which is thought to mean "little rock" or "headstone." The name was popular among the Breton followers of William the Conqueror due to St. Alan, a 5th-century bishop from Quimper, Brittany; during the Middle Ages, parents often named their children after saints in the hope that the child would be blessed or protected by the saint. Early Origins of the Alan familyThe surname Alan was first found in the lands of Shropshire, where Walter FitzAlan of Brittany held a family seat after the Norman Conquest of 1066. The parish of Mileham, Norfolk is of early significance to the family. "This place, at the time of the Conquest, was given to Alan, son of Flaald, and ancestor of the Fitz-Alans, earls of Arundel, who erected a strong castle here, of which some vestiges may still be traced, within the area of an intrenchment of twelve acres; the site of the keep is pointed out by an inner intrenchment by which it was surrounded." 1 Alain de Lille (1114-1203), was "one of the most illustrious scholars of his age, and for his attainments in theology, philosophy, history, poetry, and natural science, acquired the designation of 'Doctor universalis.' His nationality has not been ascertained with unquestioned accuracy. " 2 Alan of Beccles (d. 1240) was official secretary to Bishops Pandulf and Thomas de Blundeville of Norwich between the years 1218 and 1236 and Alan of Tewkesbury, was a writer of the twelfth century, according to the express statement of Gervase of Canterbury, an Englishman by descent. 2 Early History of the Alan familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Alan research. Another 115 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1296, 1430, 1457, 1532, 1583, 1594, 1596, 1608, 1610, 1611, 1612, 1614, 1621, 1634, 1635, 1637, 1658, 1660, 1661, 1663, 1668, 1671, 1673, 1677, 1681, 1685, 1686, 1692, 1694, 1700, 1705, 1717, 1726, 1738, 1764, 1789 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Alan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Alan Spelling VariationsThere are many spelling variations of Breton surnames, because the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The official court languages, which were Latin and French, were also influential on the spelling of a surname. Since the spelling of surnames was rarely consistent in medieval times, and scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find references to one individual with many different spellings of their surname in the ancient chronicles. Moreover, a large number of foreign names were brought into England, which accelerated and accentuated the alterations to the spelling of various surnames. The name has been spelled Alan, Allan, Allen, Alleyn, Allayne, Allaine, Allain, Allanach, Allanshaw, MacAllan and many more. Early Notables of the Alan familyNotable of this family during the Middle Ages was - Joseph Alleine (1634-1668), was author of 'An Alarm to the Unconverted,' and was descended from the Alleines of Sibbes' county Suffolk. "As early as 1430 some of them, descending of Alan, lord of Buck...
Migration of the Alan family to IrelandSome of the Alan family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 127 words (9 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
| Alan migration to the United States | + |
An examination of many early immigration records reveals that people bearing the name Alan arrived in North America very early:
Alan Settlers in United States in the 19th Century- Francisco DePaula Alan, who arrived in Puerto Rico in 1878 3
| Contemporary Notables of the name Alan (post 1700) | + |
- Fred Alan, American politician, Candidate in primary for Mayor of Bloomington, Minnesota, 2011 4
- James Alan McPherson (1943-2016), American essayist and short-story writer; the first black writer to win the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction
- Sir David Alan Chipperfield CH, CBE, RA, RDI, RIBA, HRSA (b. 1953), English architect, founder of David Chipperfield Architects in 1985, awarded the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 2023
- James Alan Robinson (b. 1960), British-American economist and political scientist, Rev. Dr. Richard L. Pearson Professor of Global Conflict Studies and University Professor at the Harris School of Public Policy of the University of Chicago, co-recipient of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences in 2024
- Charles Alan Fyffe (1845-1892), English historian
- Samuel Alan McCandless (b. 1971), American musician, producer and artist
- Jody Alan Cundy CBE (b. 1978), English cyclist and former swimmer, he competed in the 2024 Paralympics
- Bruce Alan Major (b. 1967), Canadian-born American businessman and former ice hockey player
- Parker Alan Bridwell (b. 1991), American former Major League Baseball pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles (2016-2018)
- Neil Alan Stanley (1968-2024), English cricketer, a right-handed batsman who bowled right-arm medium pace
- Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
- Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
- Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, February 2) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
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