Alan (given name) masculine given name in the Welsh language; although it is not directly related to "Alan" (it is derived from Proto-Celtic "*alouno-" meaning either "nourishing" or "wandering"), today it is generally used as a variant form of the English name. An earlier bearer of this name is Alun of Dyfed, a character in the "Mabinogion". The name became popular in modern times when it was adopted as a bardic name by John Blackwell, a 19th-century Welsh poet. The short form of "Alan" is "Al". This name is a short form of numerous other etymologically unrelated names that begin with this syllable.
Louie (given name) Louie (given name) Louie is a moderately common given name, related to the more common name Louis. It originated in the United Kingdom (where "Louis" is pronounced ) as a more regularly-spelled version without a silent ⟨s⟩. In 2011, it was the 74th most common forename for births in England and Wales, with Louis only slightly more common at 68th. In the United States, "Louis" (there pronounced ) is far more common. The name is unisex; it is usually considered a masculine given name, as a derivation of Louis, but is occasionally given to girls as a diminutive of Louise.