Nolan

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Boy · Irish

Nolan

Say it: NOH-lun

Try it with your surname

Meaning

From the Irish surname Ó Nualláin 'descendant of Nuallán', a personal name possibly from nuall 'shout, noble'; the meaning is uncertain.

Uncertainseveral explanations, none settled.

Steadily used in the US and rising from the 2000s.

Its wave through time

In the United States

0123418801900192019401960198020002020Peak 2018per 1,000 babies of that sex
  • 110,684 babies given this name since 1881
  • At its height in 2018, about 1 in 322 boys
  • 5,191 babies in 2020

Through the ages

  1. The Modern Age1880 to today

Used by

AmericanIrish

The family of the name

Other spellings: Nolen

Famous bearers

  • Nolan Ryan, American baseball pitcher

Names worth a look

Where this comes from

  • United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source
  • United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source

Meanings and histories are compiled from the study of names and their languages and checked by a second review.

Meanings and histories are drawn from the study of names and their languages, each with a confidence rating; popularity figures come from official birth records. Name histories are a living field: if you know of a correction, we would be glad to hear it.