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- people in the U.S. have this name Get contact details for people named Alan Martin
Meaning & Origins
Of Celtic origin and uncertain derivation (possibly a diminutive of a word meaning ‘rock’). It was introduced into England by Breton followers of William the Conqueror, most notably Alan, Earl of Brittany, who was rewarded for his services with vast estates in the newly conquered kingdom. In Britain the variants Allan and Allen are considerably less frequent, and generally represent transferred uses of surname forms, whereas in America all three forms of the name are approximately equally common. See also Alun.
| 174th in the U.S. for 2011 |
English, Scottish, Irish, French, Dutch, German, Czech, Slovak, Spanish (Martín), Italian (Venice), etc.: from a personal name (Latin Martinus, a derivative of Mars, genitive Martis, the Roman god of fertility and war, whose name may derive ultimately from a root mar ‘gleam’). This was borne by a famous 4th-century saint, Martin of Tours, and consequently became extremely popular throughout Europe in the Middle Ages. As a North American surname, this form has absorbed many cognates from other European forms.
| 15th in the U.S. for 2011 |
Nicknames & variations
Alana, Alanna, Alane, Alannah, Alani, Allen, Alania, Alann, Allan, Alanah
Martinez, Morton, Martino, Martens, Martell, Martins, Martel, Martinson, Martindale, Martz
Top state populations
U.S. Distribution Map
