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

Nolan, 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 Nolan surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Nolan in America

Nolan is the 754th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Nolan surname appeared 46,054 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 16 people would have the surname Nolan.

We can also compare 2010 data for Nolan 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 Nolan

The surname Nolan has its origins in Ireland, where it first appeared in the 10th century. It is derived from the Irish Gaelic words "O'Nualláin," meaning "descendant of Nualláin." Nualláin was an ancient personal name that may have meant "famous" or "shout."

The Nolan family is believed to have originated in County Carlow, in the southeast of Ireland. The name is also found in County Kilkenny and other parts of Leinster. Early forms of the name included O'Nualláin, O'Nuallain, and O'Nolan.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Nolan surname is found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. In the year 1014, it mentions a man named Gilla Pádraig Ó Nualláin, who was the chief poet of Ireland.

In the 16th century, the Nolan family possessed lands in County Carlow, particularly in the barony of Forth. A notable figure from this time was Patrick Nolan, a Catholic priest who was executed in 1579 for his religious beliefs during the Elizabethan persecutions.

Another prominent individual was Michael Nolan (1798-1876), an Irish-born architect who designed numerous buildings in Canada, including the Notre-Dame Basilica in Montreal. He was a leading figure in the Neoclassical architectural style in Canada during the 19th century.

In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the Nolan surname was Benjamin Nolan (1752-1836), a military officer who served in the American Revolutionary War. He later became a distinguished judge in Kentucky.

In the 20th century, Christopher Nolan (born 1970) is a renowned British-American film director known for acclaimed works such as "Inception," "The Dark Knight" trilogy, and "Dunkirk." He has won numerous awards, including an Academy Award and several BAFTAs.

Other notable individuals with the surname Nolan include Sir Sidney Nolan (1917-1992), an Australian artist known for his paintings depicting the outback and figures from Australian history, and Lloyd Nolan (1902-1985), an American actor who appeared in numerous films and television shows during the Golden Age of Hollywood.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Nolan

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

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

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

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