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

Allyn, 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 Allyn surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Allyn in America

Allyn is the 15938th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Allyn surname appeared 1,823 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Allyn.

We can also compare 2010 data for Allyn 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 Allyn

The surname Allyn is of Anglo-Saxon origin, derived from the Old English personal name Ælwine, which is a compound of the elements "ælf" meaning "elf" and "wine" meaning "friend." It is believed to have originated in the 9th or 10th century in various parts of England, particularly in the counties of Devon, Cornwall, and Somerset.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Alwin" and "Ailwin." The Domesday Book was a comprehensive survey of land and property in England, commissioned by William the Conqueror.

During the medieval period, the name was often spelled in various ways, including Alwyn, Aylwin, and Alleyn. It is also possible that some variations of the name were influenced by the Norman-French pronunciation and spelling conventions after the Norman Conquest of 1066.

One notable bearer of the Allyn surname was Thomas Alleyn (c. 1542-1628), an English actor and entrepreneur who co-founded the Lord Strange's Men, an acting company that later became the Admiral's Men. He was also involved in the construction of the Fortune Playhouse in London.

Another prominent figure was Edward Alleyn (1566-1626), an English actor who was considered one of the leading performers of his time. He was a member of the Lord Admiral's Men and played leading roles in several of Shakespeare's plays. Alleyn also established several charitable institutions, including the College of God's Gift in Dulwich, London.

In the 17th century, the Allyn surname was found in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, where John Allyn (1620-1696) served as the colony's Secretary of State from 1664 to 1686. He was also a prominent landowner and a founder of the town of Haddam, Connecticut.

William Alleyn (1594-1675) was an English actor and theatre manager who worked closely with Edward Alleyn. He was a member of the King's Men and played significant roles in several of Shakespeare's plays, including Hamlet and King Lear.

Richard Alleyn (c. 1560-1630) was an English merchant and Member of Parliament who served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1624-1625. He was known for his involvement in the Virginia Company and the promotion of English colonial ventures in North America.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Allyn

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

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 Allyn 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 Allyn 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 Allyn was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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