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

Folan, 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 Folan surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Folan in America

Folan is the 26261st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Folan surname appeared 930 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 Folan.

We can also compare 2010 data for Folan 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 Folan

The surname Folan is believed to have originated in Ireland, specifically in the counties of Mayo and Sligo, during the 16th century. It is derived from the Gaelic word "folúnta," which means "generous" or "hospitable." This suggests that the name may have been given as a descriptive nickname to someone who possessed these qualities.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Folan can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the 17th century. The annals mention a Folan O'Mulconry, who was a prominent scribe and historian from County Mayo in the 16th century.

The Folan surname has also been associated with various place names in Ireland, such as Folan's Cross and Folan's Well, both located in County Mayo. These place names likely originated from individuals bearing the surname Folan who resided in or owned land in those areas.

In terms of notable individuals with the surname Folan, one of the earliest and most significant figures was Edmond Folan (c. 1787 - 1866), an Irish scholar and language revivalist. He was a prominent figure in the Gaelic Revival movement and played a crucial role in preserving and promoting the Irish language and culture.

Another notable Folan was Patrick Folan (1859 - 1942), an Irish-born prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as the Apostolic Vicar of Northern Arabia from 1923 to 1942. He was instrumental in establishing the Catholic Church in the region and worked tirelessly to spread the faith.

In the realm of literature, John Folan (1916 - 1998) was an Irish poet and playwright known for his works that explored themes of rural life and Irish identity. His play "The Cock-a-Doodle Dandy" was a critical success and helped establish him as a prominent voice in Irish literature.

Moving to the field of sports, Michael Folan (1887 - 1942) was an Irish hurler who played for the Galway senior hurling team and was part of the All-Ireland winning team in 1923 and 1924. He is remembered as one of the greatest hurlers of his era.

Lastly, in the world of politics, Thomas Folan (1875 - 1944) was an Irish politician who served as a member of the Parliament of Northern Ireland for the constituency of Fermanagh and Tyrone from 1925 to 1944. He was a prominent figure in the Irish nationalist movement and advocated for the rights of Catholics in Northern Ireland.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Folan

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

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

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

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