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

Whelan, 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 Whelan surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Whelan in America

Whelan is the 3181st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Whelan surname appeared 11,363 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Whelan.

We can also compare 2010 data for Whelan 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 Whelan

The surname Whelan is of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic personal name Fhaolain, meaning "little wolf." The name originated in County Kilkenny and surrounding areas of Ireland during the Middle Ages.

The earliest recorded instance of the name appears in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history written in the early 17th century. The entry for the year 1171 mentions "Fhaolain Ua Maoilriain," indicating the presence of the name in that era.

In the 13th century, the name is found in various forms, such as Whelan, Whalan, and Whelehan, in medieval Irish records and manuscripts. Some notable early bearers of the name include Aodh Whelan, a prominent scholar and poet in the 15th century, and Seán Whelan, a renowned bard and historian from the 16th century.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Whelan family established itself as a prominent clan in County Kilkenny, with several members holding positions of authority and influence in the region. One notable figure was Patrick Whelan (1604-1678), a prominent landowner and member of the Irish Parliament.

In the 18th century, the name Whelan gained recognition beyond Ireland. James Whelan (1736-1800) was an Irish-born soldier who fought in the American Revolutionary War and later served as a member of the United States Congress. Another notable bearer was Michael Whelan (1787-1858), an Irish-born Catholic priest who played a significant role in the establishment of the Catholic Church in Australia.

As the Irish diaspora spread across the globe, the surname Whelan became more widespread. In the 19th century, James Whelan (1823-1890) was a prominent Australian politician and landowner, while in the United States, John Whelan (1839-1906) was a successful businessman and philanthropist in New York City.

Other notable individuals with the surname Whelan include the Irish writer and feminist Norah Whelan (1884-1962), the Australian artist and illustrator Patricia Whelan (1928-2022), and the American astrophysicist Benjamin Whelan (born 1944), who worked on the Hubble Space Telescope project.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Whelan

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!