Alan
/ˈæl.ən/noun
A masculine given name and surname, and the name of a historical nomadic people.
Did you know?The ethnic name Alan is historically linked to the Alans, an Iranian-speaking steppe people who moved through the Caucasus and into Roman and medieval history.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient period
Iranian
*aryāna- / *alan-
“A reconstructed ethnonym associated with the Alans, an Iranian-speaking nomadic people”
Classical Antiquity
Greek
Ἀλανοί (Alanoi)
“The Alans, a steppe people known to Greek writers”
Classical Antiquity
Latin
Alani
“The Alans, recorded in Roman sources”
Middle Ages
Old French
Alain
“A personal name used in medieval French”
Middle English
English
Alan
“A male personal name adopted into English usage”