2000
#1,377
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 23,642
First available Census row
Per 100,000 8.76
Uncommon Last name
Whalen
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 26,372 Americans carry the last name Whalen. That puts it at #1,515 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 7.69 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 12,997 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Whalen 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 Whalen with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
26K
1 in 12,997
Census rank
#1,515
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
7.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
23K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 22,998 bearers of the surname Whalen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 7.69 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1515th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Whalen, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Whalen
The surname Whalen originated in Ireland, with the earliest recorded instances dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Gaelic name Ó Fáilín, meaning 'descendant of Fáilín'. Fáilín itself is a diminutive form of the personal name Fáil, which is believed to have its roots in the Old Irish word 'fál', meaning 'ruler' or 'prince'.
The Whalens were originally based in County Mayo, specifically in the baronies of Carra, Erris, and Gallen. The name can be found in various ancient records and manuscripts, including the Annals of the Four Masters, which mention several individuals bearing the name in the 16th and 17th centuries.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is in the Pipe Roll of Cloyne from 1364, which lists a 'William Whalen'. Another early reference is in the Fiants of the Reign of Henry VIII, where a 'John Whalen' is mentioned in 1537.
Over the centuries, the name has undergone several spelling variations, including Whalen, Whelan, Phelan, Falan, and Fallon. These variations often arose due to regional dialects, phonetic translations, and the preferences of individual record-keepers.
Some notable individuals with the surname Whalen throughout history include:
1. William Whalen (c. 1620 - c. 1690), an Irish soldier and landowner from County Mayo, who served in the Irish Confederate Wars.
2. James Whalen (1742 - 1819), an Irish-American merchant and Revolutionary War patriot, known for his involvement in the Boston Tea Party.
3. Richard Whalen (1810 - 1890), an Irish-American bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Richmond, Virginia.
4. William Joseph Whalen (1866 - 1942), an American politician who served as the 31st Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts.
5. Philip Whalen (1923 - 2002), an American poet and a key figure in the Beat Generation literary movement.
The surname Whalen has also been associated with several place names, particularly in Ireland, such as Whalen's Cross in County Mayo and Whaleytown in County Westmeath.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Whalen
Among Census respondents with the surname Whalen, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Whalen 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 Whalen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.3% · 20,768
- Two or more races3.3% · 758
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 727
- Black or African American1.9% · 438
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 181
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 126
Timeline
Historical Census data for Whalen
Whalen 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
#1,470
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 24,262
+620 bearers (+2.6%)
Per 100,000 8.22
Rank movement Down 93 places
2020
#1,515
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 22,998
-1,264 bearers (-5.2%)
Per 100,000 7.69
Rank movement Down 45 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,377 | 23,642 | 8.76 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,470 | 24,262 | 8.22 | +620 bearers (+2.6%) | Down 93 places |
| 2020 | #1,515 | 22,998 | 7.69 | -1,264 bearers (-5.2%) | Down 45 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 Whalen 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 | #1,470 | #1,515 | -3.1% |
| Count | 24,262 | 22,998 | -5.2% |
| Per 100K | 8.22 | 7.69 | -6.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Whalen bearers went from 24,262 to 22,998 (-5.2% change). The surname moved down 45 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,470 to #1,515.
FAQ
Whalen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Whalen?
Name Census estimates that about 26,372 living Americans carry the surname Whalen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 12,997 residents.
How common is Whalen?
Whalen ranks #1,515 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 7.69 per 100,000 residents, which is about 8 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 22,998 people with the surname Whalen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (26,372), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 7.69 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 7.69 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 8 of them to have the surname Whalen.
Has Whalen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Whalen went from 24,262 recorded bearers to 22,998. That is a decrease of 1,264 (-5.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,470 to #1,515.
What does the Census say about the background of Whalen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Whalen, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Whalen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.3% (20,768 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Whalen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.3%), Two or More Races (3.3%), Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Whalen (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 Whalen 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 Whalen (7.69 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 are called Whalen?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Whalen on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.