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.
Frank (given name) Frank (given name) Frank is a masculine given name. Ultimately from the Germanic tribal name of the Franks, in the early medieval Frankish Empire, the status of being "a Frank" became synonymous with that of a free man; hence also the English adjective "frank" (Middle English, from Old French "franc", 12th century). Use as a given name seems to arise already in the Carolingian period; the Old High German form "Francho, Franko" is on record from the 8th century. While "Frank" is a given name in its own right, in fact reflecting the Old Frankish form "*Frank", the given name