Parent’s name
Allen surname meaning
From the Breton/Celtic personal name Alan (Alain); Scottish Gaelic ail “rock” also feeds some lines.
Confidence: Likely. The main story is well supported; some details of the deeper root are less certain.
The short story
Allen comes mainly from the medieval personal name Alan (French Alain), brought into Britain by Breton followers of the Normans and then frozen as a surname. In Scotland Allan is the usual spelling, and some Gaelic lines also reflect ail, "rock."
Because the personal name’s deeper Celtic meaning is debated, this page stays at likely rather than high—but the surname type is still parent's name: it labels descent from a man called Alan, not a trade. Saint Alan of Brittany helped keep the given name fashionable.
Also seen as: Allan, Alain, Alan
Sources used
- Geneanet/DAFN 2022: Allen from Middle English/Old French Alain (Old Breton Alan); Scottish Gaelic ail ‘rock’
- Wikipedia 'Allen (surname)' (Celtic personal-name origin)
- Names2020_LastNames_RaceHispanic_Top1000.xlsx (2020 Census)