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Name Origin

Alan is a masculine given name of Celtic origin, meaning 'handsome' or 'harmony'. It derives from the Breton name Alan meaning 'little rock', which itself likely stems from the Old Celtic words 'al' (rock) and 'lan' (little).

celticmasculinehandsomeharmonyrockmeaningful

Famous People

Alan Turing (1912-1954)

Mathematician and computer scientist

  • Considered the father of theoretical computer science and artificial intelligence
  • Broke the Enigma code during World War II
  • Developed the Turing test for machine intelligence

Alan Rickman (1946-2016)

Actor

  • Known for his roles as Severus Snape in the Harry Potter films and Hans Gruber in Die Hard
  • Acclaimed stage actor, winning a Tony Award and numerous other awards

Alan Alda (1936-)

Actor, director, screenwriter

  • Best known for his role as Hawkeye Pierce in the TV series M*A*S*H*
  • Nominated for numerous Emmy Awards and Golden Globe Awards
  • Strong advocate for science communication and education

Alan Moore (1953-)

Comic book writer

  • Known for his groundbreaking and influential works such as Watchmen, V for Vendetta, and From Hell
  • Credited with revolutionizing the comic book medium and elevating it to a serious art form

Alan Shepard (1923-1998)

Astronaut

  • First American in space (Freedom 7 mission)
  • Commander of Apollo 14 mission, the third manned mission to land on the moon