Nolan

What Nolan means

Means “descendant of Nuallán”

Anglicized from Irish Ó Nualláin (literally “descendant of Nuallán”), diminutive of nuall (“chariot-fighter, champion”).

Source: Wiktionary, “Nolan” (revision 94542116), CC BY-SA 4.0. Quoted from the etymology; we don’t write our own.

How popular is Nolan?

US: Steady: #71 in 2015, #65 now. England & Wales: Rising: up from #577 in 2015.

Biggest US share so far: 2018, when 5,629 boys got the name (#65 that year). First in the US records in 1881.

How common

• About 1 in 352 baby boys in the US in 2025
• About 1 in 1,710 baby boys in England and Wales in 2025
• About 1 in 935 baby boys in Scotland in 2025

“1 in N” divides by all listed births for that sex. The US list leaves out names given to fewer than 5 babies, and the UK lists leave out names given to 2 or fewer, so the real figure is a little rarer than shown.

Where in the US

Most popular in WY (8.26 per 1,000 boys), ME (8.06 per 1,000 boys), RI (8.0 per 1,000 boys) in 2025.

SSA state data, 2025. Share of all listed boys born in each state.

US vs UK

Nolan is #65 in the US and #283 in England & Wales (2025).

Same sex as this page (boys). SSA (US), ONS (England and Wales), NRS (Scotland).

Boy or girl?

In 2025, 99.6% of US babies named Nolan were boys.

Counts below the publishing threshold (US 5, UK 3) are not included.

How to say it

IPA from Wiktionary.

Other spellings parents chose in 2025

• Nolen58 US · 7 E&W
• Nilan43 US · 16 E&W
• Nylan40 US
• Neylan20 US
• Nolyn19 US
• Nolin10 US
• Knolan9 US
• Nylen8 US

Names that sound the same and differ by a letter or two, with baby counts for the same sex. US and E&W counts.

If you like Nolan

Boys

• Hudson#17Editor’s note Up from #65 in 2015 to #17 in 2025 in the US. About 1 in 200 US boys in the 2025 records
• Easton#110“east + settlement”^*
• Grayson#51“steward”^*
• Archer#98Editor’s note Climbing fast in the US: #289 in 2015, #98 in 2025
• Ryker#182Editor’s note More popular in the US than England & Wales: #182 vs #1,066 in 2025
• Lennon#807“descendant of Lover (Leannán)”^*

For a sister

• Evelyn#8Same root as Eileen, possibly meaning “radiance, beauty”^*
• Kinsley#93“Royal (a man's name) + s + woodland clearing”^*
• Hadley#121“heath + woodland clearing”^*
• Emery#74Editor’s note More popular in the US than England & Wales: #74 vs #1,197 in 2025
• Kensley#741Editor’s note First shows up in US records in 1987, with 8 babies
• Harper#16From a surname for “a player of the harp”^*

Picked from the US top 1,000 in 2025: names Wiktionary also files under From a surname, whose US popularity since 1990 rose and fell most like Nolan’s. Rank is US 2025.