Allen
Boy nameAllen has been given to 273,662 babies in the U.S. since 1880. It peaked in 1951 and currently ranks #578 for boys (2025).
Meaning & origin /ˈæ.lən/
Origin: Celtic languages
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Popularity over time births per year, 1880–2025
Total babies
273,662
Peak year
1951 (5,203 babies)
Rank in 2025
#578 for boys
First recorded
1880
10-year trend
▼ -48%
Gender split
1% girls / 99% boys
Famous people named Allen
Kelsey Grammer
American actor
Allen Iverson
American basketball player (born 1975)
Allen Dulles
First civilian and longest-serving Director of Central Intelligence (DCI)
Peter Green
British blues rock guitarist (1946–2020)
Notability data from Wikidata (CC0).
Names with a similar vibe
Same primary gender, peaked around the same years, and roughly as common as Allen.
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