Allen History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name of the Allen 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 Allen family

The surname Allen 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 Allen family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Allen research.

Allen Spelling Variations

Since 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 Allen family (pre 1700)

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.

Allen World Ranking

In the United States, the name Allen is the 27^th most popular surname with an estimated 494,913 people with that name. [3] However, in Canada, the name Allen is ranked the 85^th most popular surname with an estimated 30,717 people with that name. [4] And in Quebec, Canada, the name Allen is the 746^th popular surname. [5] Newfoundland, Canada ranks Allen as 367^thwith 126 people. [6] Australia ranks Allen as 48^th with 40,354 people. [7] New Zealand ranks Allen as 61^st with 5,020 people. [8] The United Kingdom ranks Allen as 41^st with 88,676 people. [9]

 Migration of the Allen family to Ireland

Some of the Allen family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.

 Allen migration to the United States +

Investigation of immigration and passenger lists has revealed a number of people bearing the name Allen: 

Allen Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

• John Allen, who arrived in Virginia in 1622 [10]
• Mr. Allen, who arrived in Virginia in 1623 [10]
• William Allen, who landed in Massachusetts in 1623 [10]
• William Allen, aged 22, who arrived in Virginia in 1623 aboard the ship “Southampton” [10]
• William Allen, who arrived in Massachusetts in 1624 [10]

Allen Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

• William Allen, who landed in Salem, Massachusetts in 1701 [10]
• Eliza Allen, who arrived in Virginia in 1701 [10]
• James Allen, who arrived in Virginia in 1702 [10]
• Samuel Allen, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1702 [10]
• William Allen, who landed in South Carolina in 1702 [10]

Allen Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

• Thomas Allen, aged 25, who arrived in New York, NY in 1803 [10]
• Isabella Allen, aged 32, who landed in New York, NY in 1803 [10]
• James Allen, who arrived in South Carolina in 1805 [10]
• John Allen, who arrived in America in 1805 [10]
• Thomas Allen, who arrived in America in 1805 [10]

Allen Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

• Mr. Robert Allen, (b. 1877), aged 23, Cornish miner traveling aboard the ship “New York” arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 5th May 1900 en route to Calumet, Michigan, USA [11]
• Mr. Thomas Allen, (b. 1866), aged 34, Cornish miner traveling aboard the ship “St Louis” arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 18th February 1900 en route to Coalfax, California, USA [11]
• Mr. John Allen, (b. 1883), aged 20, Cornish miner, from St. Stephens, Cornwall traveling aboard the ship “Cedric” arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 21st March 1903 en route to Hancock, Michigan, USA [11]
• Mr. John Allen, (b. 1867), aged 36, Cornish miner traveling aboard the ship “St Louis” arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 26th September 1903 en route to Calumet, Michigan, USA [11]
• Mr. John Allen, (b. 1877), aged 27, Cornish engine driver, from St. Austell, Cornwall traveling aboard the ship “Pretoria” arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 27th May 1904 en route to Iron Mountain, Michigan, USA [11]

 Allen migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were: 

Allen Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

• Alexander Allen, who arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1749
• William Allen, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1749
• John Allen, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1750
• Thomas Allen, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1750
• Eliz Allen, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1750

Allen Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

• James Allen, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1815
• Timothy Allen, who arrived in Canada in 1828
• John Allen, who arrived in Canada in 1830
• M. Allen, aged 22, a gentleman, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the ship “Ward” from Limerick, Ireland
• Thomas Allen, aged 28, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1834 aboard the brig “Trafalgar” from Galway, Ireland

 Allen migration to Australia+

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

Allen Settlers in Australia in the 18th Century

• Miss Margaret Allen, English convict who was convicted in London, England for 14 years for receiving stolen goods, transported aboard the “Bellona” in July 1792, arriving in New South Wales, Australia [12]
• Mr. James Allen, (Allender), English convict who was convicted in Essex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the “Barwell” in September 1797, arriving in New South Wales, Australia [13]
• Miss Elizabeth Allen, (b. 1772), aged 26, English convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the “Britannia III” on 18th July 1798, arriving in New South Wales, Australia [14]

Allen Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

• Mr. Abraham Allen, British Convict who was convicted in Stafford, Staffordshire, Englandfor life, transported aboard the “Earl Cornwallis” in August 1800, arriving in New South Wales, Australia [15]
• Mr. Thomas Allen, British Convict who was convicted in Leicester, Leicestershire, Englandfor 7 years, transported aboard the “Earl Cornwallis” in August 1800, arriving in New South Wales, Australia [15]
• Miss Ann Allen, British Convict who was convicted in Derby, England for 7 years, transported aboard the “Experiment” on 4th December 1803, arriving in New South Wales, Australia [16]
• Mr. John Allen, British Convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the “Coromandel” on 4th December 1803, arriving in New South Wales, Australia [16]
• Miss Mary Allen, British Convict who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the “Experiment” on 4th December 1803, arriving in New South Wales, Australia [16]

 Allen migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include: 

Allen Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

• John Allen, who landed in Waipa, Auckland, New Zealand in 1804
• Mr. Allen, Australian settler travelling from Sydney aboard the ship “Bee” arriving in New Zealand in 1839 [17]
• Thomas Allen, who landed in New Plymouth, New Zealand in 1840 aboard the ship Amelia Thompson
• W Allen, who landed in New Plymouth, New Zealand in 1840 aboard the ship Amelia Thompson
• William Allen, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840 aboard the ship Cuba

 Allen migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960’s many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. [18]

Allen Settlers in West Indies in the 18th Century

• Thomas Allen, who landed in Antigua (Antego) in 1711 [10]

Contemporary Notables of the name Allen (post 1700) +

• Gary Eugene Allen (1960-2023), American professional football running back in the National Football League (NFL) and Canadian Football League (CFL)
• Florence Ellinwood Allen (1884-1966), American jurist and feminist, Senior Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit (1959-1966), Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit (1958-1959), inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame in 2005
• Raymond Gilmore Allen (1929-2020), American television actor, known for Sanford and Son (1972), Darktown Strutters (1975) and Mean Mother (1973).
• Bill Allen (1937-2022), American businessman who was the CEO of the Alaska oilfield services company VECO Corporation
• Lucas Gale “Luke” Allen (1978-2022), American Major League Baseball outfielder with the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Colorado Rockies from 2002–2003
• Rae Allen (1926-2022), stage name of Raffaella Julia Theresa Abruzzo, an American Tony award winning actress of stage, film and television, director, and singer, with a career spanning some eight decades, best known for her roles in All in the Family (1972-1973) and in The Sopranos and A League of Their Own (1992)
• Lloyd Patrick Allen (1961-2021), American professional football player who was a cornerback in the National Football League (NFL) for the Houston Oilers (1984–1990)
• Mildred Allen (1929-2021), American operatic soprano who had an active career during the 1950s and 1960s
• Joe Allen (1934-2021), American founder Joe Allen, a restaurant known as Broadway meeting place for working actors, theater staff and fans
• Clarence Roderic Allen (1925-2021), American geologist who studied seismology