2000
#13,082
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,145
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.80
Rare Last name
Carolan
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Cearbhalláin," meaning "descendant of Cearbhallán," a personal name of uncertain meaning.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,511 Americans carry the last name Carolan. That puts it at #13,320 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.73 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 136,501 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Carolan surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Carolan with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.5K
1 in 136,501
Census rank
#13,320
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,190 bearers of the surname Carolan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.73 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13320th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Carolan, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Carolan
Among Census respondents with the surname Carolan, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Carolan bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Carolan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.3% · 2,044
- Two or more races2.6% · 57
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 52
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 24
- Black or African American0.5% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Carolan
Carolan appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#12,548
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,468
+323 bearers (+15.1%)
Per 100,000 0.84
Rank movement Up 534 places
2020
#13,320
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,190
-278 bearers (-11.3%)
Per 100,000 0.73
Rank movement Down 772 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,082 | 2,145 | 0.80 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,548 | 2,468 | 0.84 | +323 bearers (+15.1%) | Up 534 places |
| 2020 | #13,320 | 2,190 | 0.73 | -278 bearers (-11.3%) | Down 772 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Carolan surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #12,548 | #13,320 | -6.2% |
| Count | 2,468 | 2,190 | -11.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.84 | 0.73 | -12.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Carolan bearers went from 2,468 to 2,190 (-11.3% change). The surname moved down 772 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,548 to #13,320.
FAQ
Carolan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Carolan?
Name Census estimates that about 2,511 living Americans carry the surname Carolan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 136,501 residents.
How common is Carolan?
Carolan ranks #13,320 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.73 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,190 people with the surname Carolan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,511), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.73 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.73 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Carolan.
Has Carolan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Carolan went from 2,468 recorded bearers to 2,190. That is a decrease of 278 (-11.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,548 to #13,320.
What does the Census say about the background of Carolan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Carolan, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (2.4%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Carolan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.3% (2,044 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Carolan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.3%), Two or More Races (2.6%), Hispanic (2.4%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Carolan (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Carolan mean?
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Cearbhalláin," meaning "descendant of Cearbhallán," a personal name of uncertain meaning. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Carolan (0.73 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname Carolan?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.