2000
#3,181
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,343
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.83
Uncommon Last name
Phelan
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Faoláin," meaning "descendant of Faolán," a personal name meaning "little wolf."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 11,801 Americans carry the last name Phelan. That puts it at #3,397 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.44 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 29,045 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Phelan 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 Phelan with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
12K
1 in 29,045
Census rank
#3,397
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
10K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 10,291 bearers of the surname Phelan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.44 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3397th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Phelan, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Phelan
The surname Phelan is of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic personal name "Faoláin" which means "a wolf" or "little wolf". It is believed to have originated in County Laois, Ireland, where the name was prominent among the Irish clans.
The earliest recorded reference to the Phelan surname can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a 17th-century manuscript that chronicles the history of Ireland. The annals mention a Gilla Phadraig Ó Faoláin, a notable figure from the Uí Faoláin sept, who lived in the 12th century.
In the 16th century, during the Tudor conquest of Ireland, the Phelan family held significant lands in County Laois. One notable member was Patrick Phelan, born in 1550, who was a leader of the Clan Phelan and a fierce opponent of the English forces during the Desmond Rebellions.
The Phelan name is also associated with the town of Portlaoighise (now known as Portlaoise), which was originally called "Port Laoighis Ui Fhaolain" or "the port of Laoighis of the O'Phelans". This suggests that the Phelan clan had a strong presence in the area.
Another notable figure was John Phelan (1619-1690), a Catholic priest and writer who was born in County Kilkenny. He is known for his work "The Remonstrance of the Roman Catholics of Ireland", which advocated for the rights of Catholics in Ireland.
In the 18th century, a prominent member of the Phelan family was James Phelan (1720-1795), a landowner and politician from County Laois. He served as a Member of the Irish Parliament for the constituency of Portarlington.
In the 19th century, John Phelan (1822-1892) was a prominent figure in the Irish nationalist movement. He was a member of the Irish Republican Brotherhood and participated in the Fenian Rising of 1867, which aimed to establish an independent Irish republic.
The Phelan surname has also been found in various other spellings throughout history, such as O'Faolain, O'Faelan, and Phealan, reflecting the evolution of the name over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Phelan
Among Census respondents with the surname Phelan, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Phelan 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 Phelan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.2% · 9,283
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 427
- Two or more races3.0% · 306
- Black or African American1.3% · 136
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 81
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 58
Timeline
Historical Census data for Phelan
Phelan 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
#3,382
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,562
+219 bearers (+2.1%)
Per 100,000 3.58
Rank movement Down 201 places
2020
#3,397
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,291
-271 bearers (-2.6%)
Per 100,000 3.44
Rank movement Down 15 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,181 | 10,343 | 3.83 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,382 | 10,562 | 3.58 | +219 bearers (+2.1%) | Down 201 places |
| 2020 | #3,397 | 10,291 | 3.44 | -271 bearers (-2.6%) | Down 15 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 Phelan 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 | #3,382 | #3,397 | -0.4% |
| Count | 10,562 | 10,291 | -2.6% |
| Per 100K | 3.58 | 3.44 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Phelan bearers went from 10,562 to 10,291 (-2.6% change). The surname moved down 15 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,382 to #3,397.
FAQ
Phelan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Phelan?
Name Census estimates that about 11,801 living Americans carry the surname Phelan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 29,045 residents.
How common is Phelan?
Phelan ranks #3,397 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.44 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 10,291 people with the surname Phelan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (11,801), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.44 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.44 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Phelan.
Has Phelan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Phelan went from 10,562 recorded bearers to 10,291. That is a decrease of 271 (-2.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,382 to #3,397.
What does the Census say about the background of Phelan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Phelan, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Phelan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.2% (9,283 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Phelan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.2%), Hispanic (4.1%), Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Phelan (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 Phelan mean?
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Faoláin," meaning "descendant of Faolán," a personal name meaning "little wolf." 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 Phelan (3.44 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 share the surname Phelan?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.