Show ContentsAlanis History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Alanis

What does the name Alanis mean?

The history of the name Alanis 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 Alanis family

The surname Alanis 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 Alanis family

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

Alanis Spelling Variations

There are many spelling variations of Breton surnames, because the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The official court languages, which were Latin and French, were also influential on the spelling of a surname. Since 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, it was common to find references to one individual with many different spellings of their surname in the ancient chronicles. Moreover, a large number of foreign names were brought into England, 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 Alanis 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 Alanis Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Alanis Ranking

In the United States, the name Alanis is the 6,135th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 3

Migration of the Alanis family to Ireland

Some of the Alanis 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.

Migration of the Alanis family

An examination of many early immigration records reveals that people bearing the name Alanis arrived in North America very early: John Allan, who settled in Virginia in 1622; Anne Allen, who arrived in Boston in 1635; John Allan, who immigrated to Virginia in 1685; as did Alice Allen in 1689.


Contemporary Notables of the name Alanis (post 1700) +

  • Rhoda Myra Alanis (b. 1964), American doctor
  • Daniel Óscar Alanís (b. 1986), Mexican footballer
  • Luis Javier Alanís Avalos (b. 1990), Mexican football midfielder
  • Osvaldo Alanís Pantoja (b. 1989), Mexican football defender
  • Daniel Óscar Alanis (b. 1986), Mexican soccer player
  • Luis Javier Alanis (b. 1990), Mexican football Midfielder
  • Joan Martí i Alanis (1928-2009), former Bishop of Urgell and hence former co-Prince of Andorra
  • Alanis Nadine Morissette (b. 1974), seven-time Grammy Award winning Canadian-American singer-songwriter and record producer
  • Alanis Morissette, Canadian singer


  1. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  2. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  3. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/


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