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

Phalen, 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 Phalen surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Phalen in America

Phalen is the 16630th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Phalen surname appeared 1,724 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Phalen.

We can also compare 2010 data for Phalen 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 Phalen

The surname Phalen originates from Ireland and dates back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Gaelic name "O'Faolain," which means "descendant of Faelan." Faelan was a personal name that meant "little wolf" or "puppy."

In its earliest form, the name was spelled various ways, such as O'Fallon, O'Phelan, and Phelan. It was commonly found in County Waterford and County Tipperary, where the O'Faolain clan held territories and power.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Annals of Inisfallen, a medieval Irish chronicle dating back to the 12th century. The annals mention an "O'Faolain" who was a prominent figure in the region.

In the 16th century, during the Anglicization of Irish surnames, the spelling "Phalen" became more prevalent. This was an attempt to make the name more English-sounding and easier to pronounce for non-Irish speakers.

Notable individuals with the surname Phalen throughout history include:

1. John Phalen (1785-1853), an American politician who served as the 12th Governor of Vermont.
2. James Phalen (1810-1890), an Irish-American businessman and politician who served as the first mayor of St. Paul, Minnesota.
3. William Phalen (1832-1916), an Irish-American soldier who fought for the Union during the American Civil War and received the Medal of Honor.
4. Michael Phalen (1897-1978), an American actor and vaudeville performer who appeared in numerous films and television shows.
5. James Phalen Jr. (1918-2005), an American lawyer and judge who served on the United States District Court for the Northern District of New York.

The name Phalen has been associated with various place names in Ireland, such as Phalenstown in County Kilkenny and Phalenstown in County Meath. These places likely derived their names from the O'Faolain clan's presence in those areas.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Phalen

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

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

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

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