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

Colan, 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 Colan surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Colan in America

Colan is the 49365th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Colan surname appeared 426 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Colan.

We can also compare 2010 data for Colan 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 Colan

The surname Colan is of Irish origin, with its roots dating back to the early medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Gaelic word "colann," which means "body" or "flesh." This surname is thought to have been originally used as a descriptive name, possibly referring to a person's physical characteristics or occupation.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Colan can be found in the Annals of Ulster, an ancient chronicle of medieval Irish history. The entry from the year 1168 mentions a man named Gilla Comgain O Coluain, which translates to "the servant of Comgan O Colan." This suggests that the Colan surname was already in use by the 12th century.

In the 14th century, the Colan surname appears in the Annals of Connacht, another important historical record from Ireland. The entry from 1325 mentions a man named Domnall O Coluain, which further solidifies the presence of this surname during the Middle Ages.

One notable figure bearing the Colan surname was Aodh O Coluain, a renowned Irish poet who lived in the 16th century. His works were highly regarded and celebrated for their literary excellence and cultural significance.

Another prominent individual was Seán O Colan (born around 1560), who was a distinguished scholar and historian from County Roscommon, Ireland. He is particularly known for his work "Leabhar na gCeart" (The Book of Rights), which documented the traditional rights and privileges of the Irish nobility and clergy.

In the 17th century, the Colan surname can be found in various records from County Mayo, Ireland. One such record mentions a man named Domhnall O Coluain, who lived in the parish of Kilcommon in the year 1659.

The Colan surname has also been associated with several place names in Ireland, such as Ballycolane and Collinstown, which are believed to have derived from the Gaelic word "colann" or variations of the Colan surname.

Throughout history, the Colan surname has undergone various spelling variations, including Cullen, Cullan, Collan, and Colon, among others. These variations can be attributed to regional dialects, scribal errors, and the evolution of the English language over time.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Colan

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

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

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

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