2000
#705
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 44,421
First available Census row
Per 100,000 16.47
Uncommon Last name
Nolan
A surname of Irish origin, derived from Ó Nualláin, meaning "descendant of Nuallán" (a personal name meaning "noble" or "famous").
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 50,317 Americans carry the last name Nolan. That puts it at #770 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 14.68 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 6,812 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nolan 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 Nolan with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
50K
1 in 6,812
Census rank
#770
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
14.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
44K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 43,879 bearers of the surname Nolan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 14.68 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 770th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nolan, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.3%. The next largest groups are Black (7.2%) and Hispanic (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nolan
Among Census respondents with the surname Nolan, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.3%. The next largest groups are Black (7.2%) and Hispanic (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Nolan 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 Nolan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.3% · 36,973
- Black or African American7.2% · 3,141
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 1,735
- Two or more races3.4% · 1,489
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 323
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 218
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nolan
Nolan 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
#754
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 46,054
+1,633 bearers (+3.7%)
Per 100,000 15.61
Rank movement Down 49 places
2020
#770
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 43,879
-2,175 bearers (-4.7%)
Per 100,000 14.68
Rank movement Down 16 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #705 | 44,421 | 16.47 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #754 | 46,054 | 15.61 | +1,633 bearers (+3.7%) | Down 49 places |
| 2020 | #770 | 43,879 | 14.68 | -2,175 bearers (-4.7%) | Down 16 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 Nolan 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 | #754 | #770 | -2.1% |
| Count | 46,054 | 43,879 | -4.7% |
| Per 100K | 15.61 | 14.68 | -6.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nolan bearers went from 46,054 to 43,879 (-4.7% change). The surname moved down 16 positions in the national ranking, going from #754 to #770.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Nolan
FAQ
Nolan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nolan?
Name Census estimates that about 50,317 living Americans carry the surname Nolan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 6,812 residents.
How common is Nolan?
Nolan ranks #770 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 14.68 per 100,000 residents, which is about 15 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 43,879 people with the surname Nolan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (50,317), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 14.68 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 14.68 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 15 of them to have the surname Nolan.
Has Nolan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nolan went from 46,054 recorded bearers to 43,879. That is a decrease of 2,175 (-4.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #754 to #770.
What does the Census say about the background of Nolan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nolan, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.3%. The next largest groups are Black (7.2%) and Hispanic (4.0%). 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 Nolan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.3% (36,973 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nolan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.3%), Black (7.2%), Hispanic (4.0%). 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 Nolan (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 Nolan mean?
A surname of Irish origin, derived from Ó Nualláin, meaning "descendant of Nuallán" (a personal name meaning "noble" or "famous"). 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 Nolan (14.68 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 people have the surname Nolan?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.