# Alan

/ˈæɫən/ (US)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/alan
Updated: 2026-08-15

## Senses

### 1. male name

noun · CEFR A1

a common first name for a man.

For teachers: a male given name of Celtic origin, common in English-speaking countries.

- My friend Alan is coming over for dinner tonight.
- Alan Turing is widely considered to be the father of theoretical computer science and artificial intelligence.

### 2. historical tribe

noun · CEFR C2 · Technical

a member of an ancient group of people from Central Asia who moved into Europe.

For teachers: a member of a group of Sarmatian tribes, nomadic pastoralists of the 1st millennium AD who spoke an Eastern Iranian language.

- The Alan tribes migrated across Europe during the late Roman Empire.
- Historical records suggest that the Alan cavalry played a significant role in the complex alliances of the Migration Period.

## Examples

- Alan is my neighbor and he is very friendly.
- The manager, Alan, will be leading the meeting this afternoon to discuss the new budget.
- While the name Alan has seen a decline in popularity among newborns recently, it remains a staple of mid-century naming conventions across the British Isles.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.