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

Dolan, 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 Dolan surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Dolan in America

Dolan is the 1283rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Dolan surname appeared 27,329 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 9 people would have the surname Dolan.

We can also compare 2010 data for Dolan 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 Dolan

The surname Dolan is of Irish origin, with its roots traced back to the ancient Gaelic name O'Dualain or O'Doolain. The name is derived from the Irish word "dualmhuigh," meaning "poet" or "rhymer." This suggests that the original bearers of this name were associated with the bardic tradition in Ireland.

The earliest recorded instances of the Dolan surname can be found in the 16th and 17th centuries. One of the earliest documented references is in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, which mentions a Dolan family from County Westmeath.

The surname Dolan has a strong connection to County Westmeath and County Longford in Ireland. It is believed that the name originated in these regions and later spread to other parts of Ireland and beyond.

Notable individuals with the surname Dolan include John Dolan (c. 1755-1827), an Irish-American merchant and patriot who played a significant role in the American Revolution. Another prominent figure is Brian Patrick Dolan (1830-1918), a Catholic priest and prominent educator who founded several schools and colleges in the United States.

Father Edward Dolan (1857-1932), a Catholic priest and historian, contributed significantly to the documentation of Irish history and culture. He was instrumental in preserving many ancient Irish manuscripts and records.

In the realm of sports, James Dolan (born 1955) is a notable figure as the executive chairman and CEO of The Madison Square Garden Company, which owns several professional sports teams, including the New York Knicks and the New York Rangers.

Another influential individual with the Dolan surname is writer and journalist Marti Dolan (born 1952), who has authored several books and has been a prominent figure in the field of journalism, particularly in Los Angeles.

While the Dolan surname has its origins in Ireland, it has since spread across the globe, with bearers of the name found in various countries, including the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, among others.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Dolan

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

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

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

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