Alan
name, noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 Alternative form of alaunt. alt-of, alternative
- 2 A member of a group of Sarmatian tribes, nomadic pastoralists of the 1st millennium AD who spoke an Eastern Iranian language derived from Scytho-Sarmatian and which in turn evolved into modern Ossetian. historical
- 3 Initialism of artificial light at night. abbreviation, alt-of, initialism, uncountable
"Skyglow is a form of artificial light at night (ALAN) whereby the atmosphere scatters light back to Earth, creating a glowing dome of diffused light that can extend hundreds of kilometres into the sea."
- 1 A male given name from the Celtic languages.
"He grabbed at Alan by his Adam's apple, And Alan grabbed him back in furious grapple And clenched his fist and bashed him on the nose."
- 2 A male given name from Hebrew, variant of Elon.
- 3 A surname.
Example
More examples"I always thought that Shirley and Alan would get together."
Etymology
From Old Breton Alan, name of early Breton saints, of disputed origin and meaning; brought to England by Normans. It may have been the name of a Celtic deity, the brother of Bran, Welsh Alawn, Alun. As an early Irish name, perhaps connected with ail (“noble”). Compare French Alain.
From Latin Alānī, from Ancient Greek Ἀλανοί (Alanoí), from Proto-Sarmatian *Allān.
Related phrases
More for "alan"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.