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.
Kennedy (given name) Kennedy (given name) Kennedy is a unisex given name in the English language. The name is an Anglicised form of a masculine given name in the Irish language. According to Patrick Hanks and Flavia Hodges, the given name "Kennedy" is an Anglicised form of "Cinnéidigh", a masculine given name in the Irish language. This Irish name is composed of two elements: the first, "ceann", means "head"; the second, "éidigh", means "ugly". According to Patrick Woulfe, who wrote in the early 19th century, "Kennedy or Kynidi" is an Anglicised form the Irish "Cinnéididh" and "Cinnéidigh". Woulfe derived these Irish names from