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.
Norma (given name) "Norseman". The name has fluctuated in popularity over the past 100 years. It is still a very common name in the United States, but the name was most often given to babies in the 1930s, and is now seldom given. [[Category:Feminine given names]] Norma (given name) Norma is a female name. A single instance of the name "Norma" is recorded 1203, where it perhaps derives from the Latin word "norma", meaning "precept". The name's general usage seems to be subsequent to the 1831 debut of Vincenzo Bellini's opera "Norma" whose librettist Felice Romani borrowed the name (and the plot) from