Name of the Week

Gaelic Nolan is a stylish choice in France
but seriously overlooked in Britain.

 

Origin:

Nolan is an anglicised form of the Irish surname Ó Nualláin meaning "descendant of Nuallán." Nuallán itself is comprised of the Old Irish word núall "a howling, cry," a derivative of the Proto-Celtic *now­slo­ "cry, shout." Most likely, the name was originally given a byname: a nickname given to describe a person's distinguishing characteristics. One theory is that the name was derived from a pre-Norman chief of the clan who held the office of herald to the King of Leinster.* The sept held power in the barony of Forth in County Carlow and were known as the Princes of Foharta.

Usage:

The Surname Atlas: click to enlarge Like all surnames, Nolan had some use from the 16th century as a given name. It did not, however, become established until the 19th century.  On the 1881 UK census, there were only 34 people with the name (22 males having it as a first name; the rest as a middle name).  It is interesting to note that the name was concentrated in Larnarkshire, Lancashire and Surrey -- areas where the surname was in the highest use.  There was an initial flurry of Nolans in the 1850s, which may have been influenced by Captain Louis (Lewis) Nolan (1818-1854), famous for his part in the Charge of the Light Brigade in 1854.  Crimean battle baby names were all the rage, and the birth of a Nolan Inkerman Porter in 1855 (Inkerman after a famous Crimean battle) is suggestive that Nolan was used as one such name.  Nolan was a rare given name, but it did pick up some usage in the 20th century as we can see from birth registrations in England and Wales: 1850s: 4 births 1860s: 4 births 1870s: 7 births 1880s: 7 births 1890s: 22 births 1900s: 23 births 1910s: 32 births 1920s: 30 births 1930s: 44 births 1940s: 44 births 1950s: 56 births 1960s: 55 births 1970s: 78 births This corresponds with Leslie Dunklings data which tallies the number of boys named Nolan per 10,000 births in England and Wales which shows a peak in 1980: 1900 1925 1935 1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985  1990    -    -    -    -    -    -   1    -   1    2     -     - Click to enlarge By the late 1990s, Nolan was back to being a rarity. It did not rank at all in England and Wales in 1996 and 1997 and was only give to 3 boys in 1998 (#2901). By 2005 it had risen to the top 2000, but it was only in 2013 that Nolan saw a significant rise, from #1152 (23 births) to #771 (41 births).  In Scotland Nolan was #266 (4 births) in 1975 but from then on was only registered for one baby per year bar one until 2008. Since then it has been rising slightly, ranking #399 (8 births) in 2014.  Nolan has not been given to more than two boys in any year in Northern Ireland since 1997.  Internationally, Nolan has seen more success in other countries, ranking #81 in America and #66 in British Columbia in 2014. It is also surprisingly popular in French-speaking countries: #15 in France and #60 in Belgium in 2012.

Famous Bearers:

History: * Captain Louis Nolan (1818-1854), British Army officer and cavalry tactician best known for his role in the Charge of the Light Brigade. Contemporary: * Nolan Ryan (b. 1947), Hall of Fame Major League Baseball pitcher. * Nolan Hemmings (b.1970), British actor. * Nolan Roux (b. 1988), French footballer. Literature and Other Media: * Nolan Heinberg, the secret identity of Omni-Man.

Variants:

Nuallán (Irish), Nolann, Nolhan (French alternates)

Pronunciation:

NŌ-lən [key]

Possible diminutives:

Nole/Noel

Sibling Names:

Orla     Erin     Kiera     Tara     Melissa     Gemma  Boyd     Fraser     Gregor     Blaine     Shay     Blake

Name Lists:

Celtic Surnames

 

If you like Nolan you may also like:    Brodie, Logan, Callum, Liam, Calvin, Rory, Lennon, Euan, Callan, Arran

 

Thanks to Sydney for requesting this post.