Find out how popular the last name Boylan is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Boylan.

Boylan, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Boylan surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Boylan in America

Boylan is the 5533rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Boylan surname appeared 6,280 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Boylan.

We can also compare 2010 data for Boylan to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Boylan

The surname Boylan is of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic surname Ó Baoigheallain, meaning "descendant of Baoigheallan." This name is a diminutive of the old Irish personal name Baoigheall, which means "fair-headed" or "fair-browed." The name is believed to have originated in the 10th or 11th century in Ireland.

The Boylan surname was first concentrated in County Mayo, particularly in the baronies of Erris and Gallen. It was also found in parts of County Sligo and County Roscommon. The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the 13th and 14th centuries, appearing in various annals and manuscripts from that period.

One notable historical figure bearing the Boylan surname was Domnall Ó Baoigheallain, who was the Bishop of Raphoe in County Donegal in the 14th century. Another early individual was Tadhg Ó Baoigheallain, a prominent poet and scholar who lived in the 16th century.

In the 17th century, during the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland, many Boylan families were dispossessed of their lands and forced to seek refuge in other parts of the country. This led to the spread of the surname beyond its original strongholds.

During the 18th and 19th centuries, the Boylan surname gained prominence in various fields. John Boylan (1741-1805) was an Irish politician and landowner from County Meath. William Boylan (1775-1853) was a successful businessman and banker in Dublin. Patrick Boylan (1783-1867) was a prominent Catholic prelate who served as the Archbishop of Armagh.

In the 19th century, Mary Boylan (1815-1886) was a renowned Irish writer and journalist, known for her contributions to the Irish nationalist movement. Thomas Boylan (1854-1924) was a prominent Irish-American politician who served as the Mayor of Chicago from 1923 to 1927.

The Boylan surname has also been found in various anglicized forms, such as Boland, Boylen, and Bolan, reflecting the diverse spellings and pronunciations that emerged over time.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Boylan

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Boylan.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Boylan was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Boylan has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Boylan was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Boylan, please contact us.

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