| ![Show Contents]() Alen History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The name of the Alen family is derived from the given name Alan, which is thought to mean "little rock" or "headstone." The name was popular among the Breton followers of William the Conqueror due to St. Alan, a 5th-century bishop from Quimper, Brittany; during the Middle Ages, parents often named their children after saints in the hope that the child would be blessed or protected by the saint. Early Origins of the Alen familyThe surname Alen was first found in the lands of Shropshire, where Walter FitzAlan of Brittany held a family seat after the Norman Conquest of 1066. The parish of Mileham, Norfolk is of early significance to the family. "This place, at the time of the Conquest, was given to Alan, son of Flaald, and ancestor of the Fitz-Alans, earls of Arundel, who erected a strong castle here, of which some vestiges may still be traced, within the area of an intrenchment of twelve acres; the site of the keep is pointed out by an inner intrenchment by which it was surrounded." 1 Alain de Lille (1114-1203), was "one of the most illustrious scholars of his age, and for his attainments in theology, philosophy, history, poetry, and natural science, acquired the designation of 'Doctor universalis.' His nationality has not been ascertained with unquestioned accuracy. " 2 Alan of Beccles (d. 1240) was official secretary to Bishops Pandulf and Thomas de Blundeville of Norwich between the years 1218 and 1236 and Alan of Tewkesbury, was a writer of the twelfth century, according to the express statement of Gervase of Canterbury, an Englishman by descent. 2 Early History of the Alen familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Alen research. Another 115 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1296, 1430, 1457, 1532, 1583, 1594, 1596, 1608, 1610, 1611, 1612, 1614, 1621, 1634, 1635, 1637, 1658, 1660, 1661, 1663, 1668, 1671, 1673, 1677, 1681, 1685, 1686, 1692, 1694, 1700, 1705, 1717, 1726, 1738, 1764, 1789 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Alen History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Alen Spelling VariationsSince the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules, Breton surnames have many spelling variations. Latin and French, which were the official court languages, were also influential on the spelling of surnames. The spelling of surnames was rarely consistent in medieval times, and scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules. Therefore, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings of their surname in the ancient chronicles. Moreover, a large number of foreign names were brought into England after the Norman Conquest, which accelerated and accentuated the alterations to the spelling of various surnames. The name has been spelled Alan, Allan, Allen, Alleyn, Allayne, Allaine, Allain, Allanach, Allanshaw, MacAllan and many more. Early Notables of the Alen familyNotable of this family during the Middle Ages was William Allen (1532-1594), an English prelate; Francis Allen (ca.1583-1658), an English financier, politician and regicide who sided with parliament in the civil War against Charles I; John Allen, or John Allin (1596-1671) English settler America in 1637-38, one of the founders of Dedham, Massachusetts; Thomas Allen (1608-1673) English nonconformist minister and divine from Norwich; Richard Alleine (1610-1681), an English Puritan divine; Sir Thomas Allin, 1st Baronet (1612-1685), an officer of the Royal Navy; William Alleine (1614-1677), an English minister; John Alleyn or Allen (1621-1663), Cornish politician, MP for St Michael, Cornwall in...
Another 194 words (14 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Alen Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.  Migration of the Alen family to Ireland
Some of the Alen family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 127 words (9 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
| Alen migration to the United States | + |
Investigation of immigration and passenger lists has revealed a number of people bearing the name Alen:
Alen Settlers in United States in the 17th Century- Geo Alen, who arrived in Virginia in 1654 3
Alen Settlers in United States in the 19th Century- P Alen, aged 18, who landed in New Orleans, La in 1831 3
| Contemporary Notables of the name Alen (post 1700) | + |
- John L. Van Alen Jr., American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Columbia County, 1813-14 4
- John Evert Van Alen (1749-1807), American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Rensselaer County, 1800-01 4
- James Isaac Van Alen (1772-1870), American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Columbia County, 1803-04; U.S. Representative from New York 8th District, 1807-09 4
- Jason Alen Grimsley (b. 1967), American former Major League Baseball relief pitcher
- Alen Babic (b. 1990), Croatian professional boxer
- Alen VonShea "Shea" Norman (1971-2017), American gospel musician
- Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
- Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
- Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 10) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
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Alen migration to the United States 
England
France
Ireland
