Name of the Week

The Irish surname that became a Dynasty darling.  
Now Fallon is down from its 80s hype,
it looks more at home with fellow Celts.

Origin:

Fallon is an anglicised form of the Irish surname Ó Fallamhain meaning "descendant of Fallamhan." Fallamhan itself was most likely a byname, thought to derive from follamhnas "supremacy, rule."

Usage:

The stronghold of the Fallon family originates in Dysart in Athlone, County Roscommon; the head of that family are recorded as chiefs of Clan Uadach in that area into the 16th century.  John O'Dugan (d.1372) described the Fallon family thus:      “The O’Fallons who marched with force      Were chiefs of Clan Uadach of wine banquets,      Men who let not their spears decay.      Of those are the freeborn clans.” The surname was recorded in Ireland in various forms: Ó Fallmhain, Fallon, Fallin, Fallen, Fallowne, Falloon and Fallan.  Fallon was also used as a surname in England. In some cases this may have been transference of the Irish name, though there is evidence that, in others, it was a corruption of Fuller.  As with most surnames, Fallon had some consequent use as a first name up to the 20th century, thought it was extremely rare — rarer than many other surnames-turned-firstnames. It was only registered as a first name twice in England and Wales between 1838 and 1965: Fallon Percy Wightwick in 1857 and Fallon J. Mahon in 1964.  Fallon only really came to be regarded as a first name with the airing of popular U.S. drama Dynasty which featured the character Fallon Carrington Colby from 1981 to 1989. Alexis, Blake and Krystal also saw rises in usage thanks to the show. The impact of the character's was clear to see. In America, Fallon had a good run in the Top 1000 from 1981 to 1995, peaking in 1982 and 1983 at #376 and #379 respectively.  The name saw a similar pattern in Britain; the impact of Dynasty showing a prominent spike in the name's usage. The BBC's radio drama The Archers — the longest running "soap" in the world — even featured a character, "born" in 1985, named Fallon most likely because of Dynasty.  Below is a break down of births registered for Fallon (not including use as a middle name) in England and Wales: 1980: 0 births 1981: 0 births 1982: 5 births 1983: 42 births 1984: 66 births 1985: 59 births 1986: 82 births 1987: 44 births 1988: 25 births 1989: 30 births 1990: 22 births Since 1996, Fallon has had a birth count of between 13 (#1389 in 2000) and 36 (#973 in 2011) for girls in England and Wales. In 2012, Fallon ranked #1150 with 29 births. From 2004 onwards, Fallon has occasionally ranked for boys as well: #3009 (4 births) in 2004, #2435 (7 births) in 2007, #4432 (3 births) in 2008, #3227 (5 births) in 2009, #4678 (3 births) in 2010, #3300 (5 births) in 2011. It did not rank in 2012.

Famous Bearers:

History:  * Padraic Fallon (1905–1974), Irish poet and playwright . Literature, film and other media: * Fallon Carrington Colby, major character in US TV series Dynasty (1981-9). * Fallon Rogers (b.1985), character in longstanding BBC radio soap The Archers. * Fallon (1994), a Western novel by Louis L'Amour.  Other: * Fallon is a name given to several towns and communities in America. * Fallon National Wildlife Refuge, located in the Lahontan Valley of western Nevada.

Variants:

Falon

Pronunciation:

FA-lən (UK) [key]

Possible diminutives:

Fay, Finn

Sibling Names:

Harper     Brooke     Kira     Greer     Orla     Una         Marlow      Riley      Lorcan      Riordan     Aidan      Keir

Name Lists:

Celtic Surnames

 

If you like Fallon you may also like:   Farrah, Lowen, Alannah, Lorna, Tegan, Fallow, Avalon, Loren, Aislinn, Keeva

 

Thanks to Tay for requesting Fallon.