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Allain History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Allain History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France
Ireland

The history of the name Allain began when it was 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 Allain family

The surname Allain 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 Allain family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Allain 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 Allain History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Allain Spelling Variations

The Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules, and therefore, 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 Allain family

Notable 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 Allain Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Allain Ranking

In the United States, the name Allain is the 7,925^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 3 However, in France, the name Allain is ranked the 283^rd most popular surname with an estimated 13,945 people with that name. 4

Migration of the Allain family to Ireland

Some of the Allain 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.

Allain migration to the United States +

Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Allain were among those contributors:

Allain Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Francois Allain, who arrived in Louisiana in 1719 5

Allain Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

T Allain, aged 30, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1831 5
Mr. M. Allain, aged 40, German engineer who arrived in New York in 1893 aboard the ship "La Gascogne" 6

Allain migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Allain Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Thomas Allain, aged 22, a farm labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1857 aboard the ship "Henry Moore"

Contemporary Notables of the name Allain (post 1700) +

Robert LeBreton "Bret" Allain II (b. 1958), American businessman and politician, Louisiana State Senator from District 21 (2012-)
Theophile T. Allain (1846-1917), born a slave, an American politician, Member of the Louisiana House of Representatives, for a time the wealthiest black person in Louisiana
Rhett Allain, American physicist and associate professor of physics at Southeastern Louisiana University
Keith Allain (b. 1958), American ice hockey player and current head coach of the Yale Bulldogs men's ice hockey team
Stephanie Allain (b. 1959), American producer of independent movies in Hollywood, California, known for Hustle & Flow (2005), Black Snake Moan (2006) and Beyond the Lights (2014)
Rick Allain (b. 1969), former Canadian ice hockey coach from Guelph, Ontario
Alexander P. Allain (1920-1994), American lawyer who led the fight for freedom of expression
Raymonde Allain (1912-2008), French model and actress, Miss France in 1928
Valérie Allain (b. 1966), French actress, from Saint-Raphaël, Var, France
Tara Allain (b. 1985), American beauty pageant winner, Miss Maine for 2007
... (Another 3 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

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
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
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)
Germans to America retrieved 21st October 2021. Retrieved from Glazier, Ira. A., and Filby, P. William. Germans to America: Lists of Passengers Arriving at U.S. Ports. Vol. 62, Scholarly Resources Inc, 2150