# Phelan (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/phelan/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A surname originating as a patronymic.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | not recorded |
| Type | patronymic, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 10,562 |
| US rank (2010) | 3,382 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 29,232 people |
| Change since 2000 | +2.1% (10,343 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /ˈfiːlən/, 2 syllables |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## Etymology

Reduced Anglicized form of Irish Ó Faoláin (“descendant of Faolán”), a hypocoristic form of faol (“wolf”). Doublet of Whelan.

## Who carries it

Share of people named Phelan in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 93% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 1.3% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.9% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.6% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.8% |
| Two or more races | 1.4% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Phelan in the United States.

## People named Phelan

- James D. Phelan, American politician, United States Senator (1861–1930)
- John Phelan, American businessman (born 1964)

## Similar surnames

Phalen, Pelham, Plain, Polan, Palma, Pulliam, Paulino, Pullen, Palomo, Palm, Poulin, Paulin.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.