Skip to content
Name Lineage

    The surname Phelan

    A patronymic surname, carried by 10,562 people in the United States.

    Pronounced /ˈfiːlən/ 2 syllables Soundex P450

    Phelan: #3,382 of 162,253 surnames in the 2010 US Census #1Smith#160,975Doriott#10Martinez#100Jimenez#1,000Archer#10,001Dubon Phelan #3,382, 10,562 people Phelan: #3,382 of 162,253 surnames in the 2010 US Census #1Smith#160,975Doriott#100Jimenez Phelan #3,382, 10,562 people
    Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Phelan is more common than 97.9% of them.

    Origin

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

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

    Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

    How common it is

    2010 US Census

    There were 10,562 people named Phelan in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 29,232 Americans. That is up 2.1% since 2000, when the Census counted 10,343.

    #3,382
    rank among US surnames
    10,562
    people in 2010
    3.6
    per 100,000 Americans
    +2.1%
    change since 2000 (was #3,181)
    RankSurnamePeople1 in
    #3,373Narvaez10,57929,185
    #3,374Peng10,57529,196
    #3,375Pichardo10,57229,204
    #3,376Stepp10,57129,207
    #3,377Florez10,57029,210
    #3,378Terrazas10,56929,212
    #3,379Ahn10,56729,218

    Who is named Phelan

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

    93% of people named Phelan identified as white (not Hispanic), 2.9% as Hispanic or Latino (any race) and 1.4% as two or more races.

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

    Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

    Famous Phelans

    2 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

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

    Spellings and sound-alikes

    Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

    Surnames that sound like Phelan

    Phelan has the Soundex code P450, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code P450.

    Questions

    Where does the surname Phelan come from?
    Reduced Anglicized form of Irish Ó Faoláin (“descendant of Faolán”), a hypocoristic form of faol (“wolf”). Doublet of Whelan.
    How common is the surname Phelan?
    10,562 people in the United States had the surname Phelan in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 29,232 Americans. It ranked 3,382nd of 162,253 surnames.
    What ethnicity is the surname Phelan?
    In the 2010 Census, 93% of people named Phelan identified as white (not Hispanic), and 2.9% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).
    Who is the most famous person named Phelan?
    James D. Phelan, American politician, United States Senator (1861–1930), followed by John Phelan.
    Where is the surname Phelan most common?
    Wikidata records people named Phelan in the United States.
    How do you pronounce Phelan?
    Phelan is /ˈfiːlən/, 2 syllables.
    What type of surname is Phelan?
    Phelan is a patronymic surname, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.
    Is the surname Phelan getting more or less common?
    More common. 10,343 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 10,562 in 2010, up 2.1%.
    Is Phelan also a first name?
    Yes. Phelan 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.