Nolan
Nolan is a male given name of Irish origin meaning "champion".
- English
- French
Meaning & Origin of Nolan
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Nolan is a male given name of Irish origin meaning "champion".
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- English
- French
The Story of Nolan
Nolan first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1881, with 5 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 2015: 5,739 births, good for #71 nationwide. The 2010s were its strongest decade, accounting for roughly 36% of all recorded Nolans. In the latest 2026 data it stands at #68 among baby boy names with 4,841 births, gradually falling (-9%). In total, more than 140K Nolans have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Variants & Related Forms of Nolan
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Nolan. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
- Nolann
- Nolhan
Names that sound like Nolan
Phonetically similar names — useful when Nolan is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Nolan
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About the name Nolan
Nolan is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1881 and has accumulated 140K births in the dataset. Nolan's peak popularity came in 2015 when it ranked #57. Use the chart and map above to compare Nolan's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 2015 →
- Names of the 2010s →
- Names starting with "N" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.