Find out how popular the last name Alain is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Alain.

Alain, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Alain surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Alain in America

Alain is the 102688th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Alain surname appeared 175 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Alain.

We can also compare 2010 data for Alain to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Alain

The surname Alain has its origins in France, dating back to the 11th century. It is believed to have derived from the French given name Alain, which itself is a variant of the Germanic name Alan or Allen. The name Alan is thought to have its roots in the Breton word "al," meaning "rock" or "headland."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Alain can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey of landholdings in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The book mentions an individual named Alain de Bretagne, indicating that the name was already in use by the 11th century.

During the Middle Ages, the surname Alain was particularly prevalent in the regions of Brittany and Normandy in France. It was also found in parts of England, likely due to the Norman conquest in 1066, when many Norman families with the surname Alain settled in various parts of the country.

One notable individual bearing the surname Alain was Alain de Lille (c. 1128 - 1202), a French theologian and poet who was a prominent figure in the intellectual circles of his time. Another significant figure was Alain Chartier (c. 1385 - 1430), a French poet and political writer who served as a secretary to several French kings.

In the 16th century, Alain Blanchard (c. 1500 - c. 1550) was a French navigator and explorer who is believed to have been one of the first Europeans to explore the Gulf of St. Lawrence in Canada. Around the same time, Alain de Montalant (c. 1520 - 1586) was a French nobleman and military leader who played a prominent role in the Wars of Religion in France.

Another notable figure with the surname Alain was Alain-René Lesage (1668 - 1747), a French novelist and playwright who is best known for his satirical works, including the novel "The Adventures of Gil Blas of Santillane."

Throughout its history, the surname Alain has also been associated with various place names and older spellings. For instance, the village of Alain in Normandy, France, is believed to have been named after an individual with the surname Alain. Additionally, variations such as Allayne, Alayne, and Alleyn were common in medieval England.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Alain

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Alain.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Alain was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Alain has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Alain was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Alain, please contact us.

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