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

Carolan, 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 Carolan surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Carolan in America

Carolan is the 12548th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Carolan surname appeared 2,468 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Carolan.

We can also compare 2010 data for Carolan 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 Carolan

The surname Carolan is of Irish origin and is derived from the Gaelic personal name Cearbhallan, which means "gambler" or "roving bard." It is believed to have originated in the 16th or 17th century.

The name is thought to have first appeared in County Meath, Ireland, where it was associated with a family of notable bards and harpists. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Turlough O'Carolan (1670-1738), a celebrated Irish harper and composer who was blind from an early age.

The name Carolan can also be found in various historical records and manuscripts, including the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the 17th century. It is mentioned in connection with several prominent figures and events from that time period.

Another notable bearer of the Carolan name was Charles Carolan (1783-1846), an Irish-born soldier who served in the British Army during the Napoleonic Wars and later became a respected military historian and author.

In the 19th century, the name Carolan was associated with several literary figures, including Patrick Carolan (1823-1898), an Irish poet and journalist who wrote extensively about Irish culture and history.

The name Carolan has also been linked to various place names in Ireland, such as Carolan's Quarter, a townland in County Meath, and Carolan's Rock, a landmark in County Leitrim.

Other notable individuals with the surname Carolan include John Carolan (1857-1942), an Irish-American politician and lawyer who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives, and Michael Carolan (1912-1988), an Irish-born painter and sculptor known for his abstract works.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Carolan

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

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 Carolan 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 Carolan 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 Carolan was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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