2010
#160,975
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Trolan
A locational surname derived from a place name in Ireland, possibly related to the Irish word "trólann" meaning "entrenchment" or "fortification."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Trolan. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Trolan 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.
Bearers in the US
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Trolan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Trolan, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.7%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Trolan
The surname Trolan is believed to have originated in Ireland, specifically in the province of Munster, where it was first recorded in the 11th century. It is derived from the Gaelic word "trolán," which means "a small or little person."
Historically, the name Trolan was often associated with the areas around County Cork and County Tipperary, where it was most prevalent in the early medieval period. It is likely that the name was originally a descriptive nickname given to someone of short stature.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Annals of Inisfallen, a medieval manuscript dating back to the 12th century. This document mentions a certain "Donnchadh Trolan," who was a notable figure in the region at that time.
In the 14th century, the name appears in various land records and legal documents from the province of Munster. For instance, a certain "Seán Trolan" is mentioned as a landowner in a deed from the year 1378, relating to property near the town of Mitchelstown, County Cork.
Among notable historical figures with the surname Trolan, one can mention Pádraig Trolan, a 16th-century scholar and poet from County Tipperary, whose works have been preserved in several manuscripts (c. 1520 - c. 1590).
Another noteworthy individual was Tadhg Trolan, a 17th-century soldier who fought in the Irish Confederate Wars and is recorded as having participated in the Siege of Limerick in 1651 (c. 1620 - c. 1680).
In the 18th century, there was a famous painter named Seamus Trolan, who was renowned for his portraits and landscapes depicting scenes from rural Munster (1735 - 1812).
Additionally, the name Trolan has been associated with several place names in Ireland, such as Trolan's Cross, a townland located in County Cork, and Trolan's Well, a historic well near the village of Ballylanders, County Limerick.
Over the centuries, the name has also been subject to various spelling variations, including Trolaun, Trolane, and Trowlan, among others.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Trolan
Among Census respondents with the surname Trolan, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.7%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Trolan 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 Trolan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.2% · 98
- Hispanic or Latino8.7% · 10
- Two or more races4.3% · 5
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Trolan
Trolan appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+15 bearers (+15.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 15,218 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #160,975 | 100 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | +15 bearers (+15.0%) | Up 15,218 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 Trolan 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 | #160,975 | #145,757 | 9.5% |
| Count | 100 | 115 | 15.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 28.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Trolan bearers went from 100 to 115 (+15.0% change). The surname moved up 15,218 positions in the national ranking, going from #160,975 to #145,757.
FAQ
Trolan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Trolan?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Trolan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Trolan?
Trolan ranks #145,757 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 115 people with the surname Trolan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Trolan.
Has Trolan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Trolan went from 100 recorded bearers to 115. That is an increase of 15 (+15.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #160,975 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Trolan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Trolan, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.7%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Trolan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.2% (98 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Trolan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.2%), Hispanic (8.7%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Trolan (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 Trolan mean?
A locational surname derived from a place name in Ireland, possibly related to the Irish word "trólann" meaning "entrenchment" or "fortification." 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 Trolan (0.04 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 Trolan?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.