Allen (surname)

Last updated
Allen
Origin
Word/name Insular Celtic
Meaning"little rock", "harmony", "great" and "handsome"
Region of originScotland, Ireland, England
Other names
Variant form(s) Alan, Allan, MacAllen

Allen is a Celtic surname, originating from Ireland, and common in Scotland, Wales and England. It is a variation of the surname MacAllen and may be derived from two separate sources: Ailin, in Irish and Scottish Gaelic, means both "little rock" and "harmony", or it may also be derived from the Celtic Aluinn, which means "handsome". Variant spellings include Alan, Allan, etc.

Contents

In Portugal, George Allen, an early 18th century trader from England, settled in Porto; he is the first of the Portuguese Allen family – deeply involved in port wine and dating back to 1701 in Portugal – that still owns the noble mansion Quinta de Villar d'Allen, their country estate for more than 180 years (1839). [1] [2] George Allen was a descendant of Henry Allen, Lord of the Manor of Buckenhall in Staffordshire in 1290, and probably of one Alanus de Buckenhall, from whom all the Allens of Staffordshire were said to have descended.

In Ireland, Allen is the Anglicization of the Gaelic name Ó h-Ailín. [3] Allen is the 41st most common surname in England. [4]

Pages listing several people with the same name

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Fictional characters

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See also

References

  1. ↑ "A toast to the Portuguese garden of John Allen". Talking Plants. 5 September 2017. Retrieved 14 June 2025.
  2. ↑ "Villar d'Allen Farm". Porto Secret Spots. Retrieved 14 June 2025.
  3. ↑ "Surname Search: Allen". Surname Dictionary. The Irish Times . Archived from the original on 2016-05-13. Retrieved 2011-06-18.
  4. ↑ Cvetinović, Luka (2024-08-09). "Allen Surname Origin, Meaning & Last Name History". forebears.io. Dubai, United Arab Emirates: Forebears DMCC. Archived from the original on 2024-05-09. Retrieved 2024-08-22.Updated 22nd August 2024
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