Nolan
Nolan is an Irish surname-turned-first-name meaning 'champion' or 'descendant of the famous one,' derived from the Gaelic Ó Nualláin. It carries a strong, heroic quality while maintaining a friendly, approachable sound.
Current Popularity
Popularity over time
Dashed bar: 2026 (projected): 4,845. How this is calculated
Yearly values
- 2011: 4,169
- 2012: 4,427
- 2013: 4,745
- 2014: 5,210
- 2015: 5,739
- 2016: 5,634
- 2017: 5,400
- 2018: 5,629
- 2019: 5,403
- 2020: 5,200
- 2021: 5,354
- 2022: 4,928
- 2023: 5,129
- 2024: 4,900
- 2025: 4,846
- 2026 (projected): 4,845
Good to Know
- •Easy to spell and pronounce across cultures
- •Surname-as-first-name trend that feels established rather than trendy
- •Works well in both casual and professional settings
- •Strong Celtic heritage without being overly ethnic-specific
Similar Names
Famous People
Nolan Ryan
Hall of Fame baseball pitcher
Christopher Nolan
Film director (Inception, The Dark Knight)
Nolan Gould
Actor (Modern Family)
Nolan Bushnell
Founder of Atari
Statistics
135,505
Total births since 1880
2015
Peak year
Discovery
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