# Which variation of this name is most common to you? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 8, 2014, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-variation-of-this-name-is-most-common-to-you/692636 "2014-07-08T14:31:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![EmilyG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emilyg/32/364_2.png) [@EmilyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmilyG)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2014, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-variation-of-this-name-is-most-common-to-you/692636/21 "2014-07-08T18:14:49Z")
Alan as a first name, Allen as a last name. ETA: The name Morgan also works as a first or last name. Or male or female first name. ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2014, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-variation-of-this-name-is-most-common-to-you/692636/22 "2014-07-08T19:27:05Z")
I have a cousin named Alan and a cousin named Allan. My son’s middle name is Alan after his dad’s father. I would default to the Alan spelling if I didn’t know for sure. ---
**Author:** ![TheChileanBlob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thechileanblob/32/435_2.png) [@TheChileanBlob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheChileanBlob)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2014, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-variation-of-this-name-is-most-common-to-you/692636/23 "2014-07-08T20:14:05Z")
I have an uncle on either side, both named Alan. Allen is nice as a last name, but as a first name it makes me think of that dorky boy from 3rd grade. Sorry, Allens. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2014, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-variation-of-this-name-is-most-common-to-you/692636/24 "2014-07-08T20:20:00Z")
I hav encountered many variations on “Alan.” My experience has been that “Alan” is the most common spelling when we’re dealing with first names, while “Allen” is far more common when we’re dealing with last names. Remember, it’s Alan Shepard, Alan Arkin, Alan Ladd… But it’s Ethan Allen, Steve Allen, and Ray Allen… ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2014, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-variation-of-this-name-is-most-common-to-you/692636/25 "2014-07-08T20:31:18Z")
What **SciFiSam** said: the Welsh spelling, Alun, of the people I know. (In Welsh, _allan_ is a common word meaning “out,” and _allen_ more or less means “could.”) Of the people I’ve heard of (i.e. famous people), and the spelling I prefer, Alan. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2014, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-variation-of-this-name-is-most-common-to-you/692636/26 "2014-07-08T20:36:09Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > Alan > > “Allen” strikes me more as a surname. > > “Allyn” is a girl’s name (only IMO of course). I’ve known only one Allyn in my life, and she was a girl. I guess she actually about 53 now. She had sisters named Sidney and Leslie, so I think her parents just had a thing for gender neutral names. ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2014, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-variation-of-this-name-is-most-common-to-you/692636/27 "2014-07-08T20:45:55Z")
Really, not Allan? Not sure what universe I’m living in. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2014, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-variation-of-this-name-is-most-common-to-you/692636/28 "2014-07-08T20:53:12Z")
> [@MeanOldLady](#): > > Really, not Allan? Not sure what universe I’m living in. How many Allans can you name with that as their first name? Better still, how many of [these](http://www.imdb.com/find?s=all&q=allan&ref_=nv_sr_sm) do you even recognize? Just askin’. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2014, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-variation-of-this-name-is-most-common-to-you/692636/29 "2014-07-08T21:22:04Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > It’s deep enough in the thread that most likely few will notice it, but rather than starting another thread, I’ll just ask it here, and if you think it’s worth the trouble maybe you can start another thread about it: > > All that being said: > > What’s another name like Alan/Allan/Allen that works for any place in a name? And that’s without relying on adding an “s” to it, like Peter Peters, or sticking a -son on the end of it. There’s an English footballer called Gary Neville. His middle name is Neville, after his dad, Neville Neville. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2014, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-variation-of-this-name-is-most-common-to-you/692636/30 "2014-07-08T21:32:27Z")
Allan - because that’s how my brother’s name is spelled. ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2014, 9:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-variation-of-this-name-is-most-common-to-you/692636/31 "2014-07-09T09:14:18Z")
> [@ZenBeam](#): > > Alan is my middle name, and I _still_ voted Allen. You scare me. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2014, 9:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-variation-of-this-name-is-most-common-to-you/692636/32 "2014-07-09T09:19:38Z")
I think “Alan” is the only one I’ve ever come across among people I know. And it’s what I think of as the default spelling for a first name. ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2014, 9:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-variation-of-this-name-is-most-common-to-you/692636/33 "2014-07-09T09:36:09Z")
Alan. My first ex-husband was an Allen, though. ETA - Allyn looks like a feminized version of Alan. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2014, 10:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-variation-of-this-name-is-most-common-to-you/692636/34 "2014-07-09T10:37:22Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > At this stage Allan isn’t getting much love. Other than [Allan “Rocky” Lane (I) (1909–1973)](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0485226/?ref_=nv_sr_1), I can’t name one offhand. Can you? [Allan Morris](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allan_Morris) is a friend of mine (since we were at university together), but I also had an Uncle Alan, who is now dead, so I feel that “Alan” is the more normal spelling. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2014, 10:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-variation-of-this-name-is-most-common-to-you/692636/35 "2014-07-09T10:40:29Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > What’s another name like Alan/Allan/Allen that works for any place in a name? And that’s without relying on adding an “s” to it, like Peter Peters, or sticking a -son on the end of it. All my names (first, middle and last) are about equally common as first and last names. (I won’t say what they all are, since I want to preserve a small amount of anonymity here.) ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2014, 10:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-variation-of-this-name-is-most-common-to-you/692636/36 "2014-07-09T10:59:11Z")
Never seen Allyn - did you mean Alleyn which is a well-know surname? ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2014, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-variation-of-this-name-is-most-common-to-you/692636/37 "2014-07-09T11:31:17Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > My hat is off to you, **DCnDC** , for seeing that better-late-than-never post and for providing such an amazing reply! > > Remember [Pedro Gonzalez Gonzalez (1925–2006)](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0327602/?ref_=nv_sr_1) (who went by just Gonzalez Gonzalez), by any chance? 😃 But the two Gonzalez are lastnames. ---
**Author:** ![PSXer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/48db29/32.png) [@PSXer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PSXer)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2014, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-variation-of-this-name-is-most-common-to-you/692636/38 "2014-07-09T11:34:52Z")
Allen is right surprised to see so many wrong answers in the poll ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2014, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-variation-of-this-name-is-most-common-to-you/692636/39 "2014-07-10T13:04:48Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > How many Allans can you name with that as their first name? Better still, how many of [these](http://www.imdb.com/find?s=all&q=allan&ref_=nv_sr_sm) do you even recognize? > > Just askin’. 🙂 Huh, few. I guess between Edgar Allan Poe and that Allan doll I had as a kid, Allan has been the only way for me. They got to me early. ---
**Author:** ![jabiru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bbce88/32.png) [@jabiru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jabiru)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2014, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-variation-of-this-name-is-most-common-to-you/692636/40 "2014-07-10T13:09:11Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > Alan > > “Allen” strikes me more as a surname. This is exactly what I was going to say. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-variation-of-this-name-is-most-common-to-you/692636.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-variation-of-this-name-is-most-common-to-you/692636.md?page=3)