Alin
Feminine form of the French name Alain, meaning "little rock".
Name Census estimates that about 633 living Americans carry the first name Alin. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 77.6% of registrations being female. The average person named Alin today is around 18 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Alin births was 2007 (46 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Alin. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
633
~ 1 in 541,476 Americans
Peak year
2007
46 babies that year
Average age
18
years old
2021 SSA rank
#8,443
Tracked since 1985
Gender
Gender distribution for Alin
Alin is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 642 total registrations, 144 (22.4%) were male and 498 (77.6%) were female.
Alin as a male name
- Ranked #12,226 in 2021
- 5 male births in 2021
- Peak: 2005 (9 births)
Alin as a female name
- Ranked #8,443 in 2024
- 12 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2007 (38 births)
Popularity
Alin: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Alin from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 310 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Alin by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Alin during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Alins live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. California, Texas, New York recorded the most babies named Alin, while New York, Texas, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 35 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Alin
The name Alin has its origins in the ancient Celtic language and culture. It is derived from the Gaelic word "ail," which means "rock" or "stone." The earliest known use of the name dates back to the 5th century AD, when it was recorded in Celtic manuscripts and historical records.
In the early medieval period, the name Alin was particularly common among Celtic tribes in present-day Ireland, Scotland, and parts of Wales. It was often given to boys born in rocky or mountainous regions, as a symbol of strength and resilience.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Alin can be found in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. In the entry for the year 644 AD, a chieftain named Alin mac Colmáin is mentioned as leading a rebellion against the High King of Ireland.
During the Middle Ages, the name Alin became popular among Christian families in Celtic regions, possibly due to its association with the Latin word "alinus," meaning "little rock" or "pebble." This may have been seen as a reference to the Biblical passage in Matthew 16:18, where Jesus says to Peter, "You are Peter, and on this rock, I will build my church."
In the 12th century, a nobleman named Alin de Galloway was a prominent figure in the court of King David I of Scotland. He is mentioned in several historical documents from the time, including the Chronicles of Holyrood Abbey.
Another notable bearer of the name was Alin ap Cadwgan, a Welsh prince who lived in the late 12th century and fought against the Norman invaders of Wales. He is remembered in the Brut y Tywysogion, a medieval Welsh chronicle.
In the 14th century, an Irish poet and bard named Alin Ó Dálaigh gained fame for his intricate and lyrical compositions. His works are preserved in the Book of Fermoy, an important manuscript of Irish literature.
During the Renaissance, an Italian humanist scholar named Alin Rinuccini (1446-1499) made significant contributions to the study of classical Greek and Latin texts. He is credited with discovering and editing several lost works by ancient authors.
In more recent times, the name Alin has been carried by individuals such as Alin Teodorescu (1894-1964), a Romanian politician and diplomat who served as Prime Minister of Romania in the 1930s, and Alin Coen (born 1957), a French film director and screenwriter known for his award-winning films.
People
Alin + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Alin as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with A
Other first names starting with A with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Alin: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Alin?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 633 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Alin going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 541,476 US residents.
Is Alin a common name?
We classify Alin as "Very Rare". It ranks above 86.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 642 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Alin most popular?
The single biggest year for Alin was 2007, when 46 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Alin is about 18 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Alin a female name?
Yes, 77.6% of people registered as Alin in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.