# Whalen (surname)

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

A surname from Irish.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | Irish |
| Type | not recorded |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 24,262 |
| US rank (2010) | 1,470 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 12,725 people |
| Change since 2000 | +2.6% (23,642 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /ˈweɪ.lən/, 2 syllables |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## Etymology

Variant of Whelan.

## Who carries it

Share of people named Whalen 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) | 2.0% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.1% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.7% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.5% |
| Two or more races | 1.4% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Whalen in the United States.

## People named Whalen

- Lindsay Whalen, American Hall of Fame basketball player and coach
- Sean Whalen, American actor
- Philip Whalen, American poet (1923–2002)
- Sara Whalen, American soccer player
- Michael Whalen, American actor (1902-1974)
- Charles W. Whalen, American politician (1920-2011)

## Similar surnames

Whelan, Wallen, William, Wallin, Woolwine, Woolum, Willen.

## 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.