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    The surname Nolan

    An Irish patronymic surname, carried by 46,054 people in the United States.

    Pronounced /ˈnoʊlən/ 2 syllables Soundex N450 Also a first name

    Nolan: #754 of 162,253 surnames in the 2010 US Census #1Smith#160,975Doriott#10Martinez#100Jimenez#10,001Dubon Nolan #754, 46,054 people Nolan: #754 of 162,253 surnames in the 2010 US Census #1Smith#160,975Doriott#100Jimenez Nolan #754, 46,054 people
    Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Nolan is more common than 99.5% of them.

    Origin

    Irish origin

    Anglicized from Irish Ó Nualláin (literally “descendant of Nuallán”), diminutive of nuall (“chariot-fighter, champion”).

    Nolan is a patronymic surname: formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.

    One of 880 Irish surnames on this site.

    Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

    How common it is

    2010 US Census

    There were 46,054 people named Nolan in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 6,704 Americans. That is up 3.7% since 2000, when the Census counted 44,421.

    #754
    rank among US surnames
    46,054
    people in 2010
    16
    per 100,000 Americans
    +3.7%
    change since 2000 (was #705)
    RankSurnamePeople1 in
    #745Solomon46,5346,635
    #746Guevara46,4546,646
    #747Stafford46,3946,655
    #748English46,3936,655
    #749Hurst46,2446,676
    #750Woodard46,2406,677
    #751Cortes46,2296,679

    Who is named Nolan

    Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

    87% of people named Nolan identified as white (not Hispanic), 7.4% as Black (not Hispanic) and 2.9% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

    • White (not Hispanic) 87%
    • Black (not Hispanic) 7.4%
    • Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2.9%
    • Two or more races 1.7%
    • Asian and Pacific Islander 0.6%
    • American Indian and Alaska Native 0.6%

    Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

    Famous Nolans

    16 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

    • Jonathan Nolan
      British-American filmmaker (born 1976)
    • Sidney Nolan
      Australian artist (1917–1992)
    • Lloyd Nolan
      American actor (1902-1985)
    • Jeanette Nolan
      American actress (1911–1998)
    • Norma Nolan
      Argentine model (1938–2025)
    • John Nolan
      British actor, 1938–2026
    • Deanna Nolan
      American basketball player, born 1979
    • Rick Nolan
      American politician (1943–2024)
    • William F. Nolan
      American writer (1928-2021)
    • Doris Nolan
      American actress (1916–1998)
    • Jerry Nolan
      American drummer (1946–1992)
    • Mae Nolan
      American politician (1886–1973)

    Notable Nolans come mostly from the United States (13), Australia (1) and Argentina (1).

    Spellings and sound-alikes

    Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

    Surnames that sound like Nolan

    Nolan has the Soundex code N450, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code N450.

    Other Irish surnames

    All 880 Irish surnames

    Questions

    Where does the surname Nolan come from?
    Anglicized from Irish Ó Nualláin (literally “descendant of Nuallán”), diminutive of nuall (“chariot-fighter, champion”).
    How common is the surname Nolan?
    46,054 people in the United States had the surname Nolan in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 6,704 Americans. It ranked 754th of 162,253 surnames.
    What ethnicity is the surname Nolan?
    In the 2010 Census, 87% of people named Nolan identified as white (not Hispanic), and 7.4% as Black (not Hispanic).
    Who is the most famous person named Nolan?
    Jonathan Nolan, British-American filmmaker (born 1976), followed by Sidney Nolan.
    Where is the surname Nolan most common?
    Wikidata records people named Nolan in the United States, Australia and Argentina and 1 other country.
    How do you pronounce Nolan?
    Nolan is /ˈnoʊlən/, 2 syllables.
    What type of surname is Nolan?
    Nolan is a patronymic surname, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.
    Is the surname Nolan getting more or less common?
    More common. 44,421 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 46,054 in 2010, up 3.7%.
    Is Nolan also a first name?
    Yes. Nolan is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.