sentences:  The name of the town is derived from the Alanta River, tributary of Virinta.The name of the river is derived from an ancient Lithuanian verb ""alėti"", which means 'to stream merrily' or 'to run'.In 1436, Sigismund Kestutaitis granted Alanta to Kristinas Astikas to commend him for his aid in defeating Švitrigaila in the Lithuanian Civil War (1431–1435).