Nolan Name Meaning, Origin, Popularity, Boy Names Like Nolan

Nolan Name Origin: Irish
Pronunciation: noh-l(on)
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Nolan Name Meaning

An Irish name with a splash of style, Nolan has always appeared in the U.S. Top 1000. He’s been growing in popularity in recent years, rising alongside other Irish picks like Connor and the mega-popular Liam. A sweet name with happy-go-lucky vibes, Nolan is the perfect name for a little boy.

He’s an unexpected alternative to the chart-topper Noah, a name that works well with many of today’s styles. He’s a surname pick with place name roots as well, the perfect choice for a trendsetter looking to not go too far outside the norm. He used to be much rarer, but his uptick in usage has the upside of making him a familiar friend who avoids spelling and pronunciation issues.

A popular name among sports stars, Nolan is a great pick for an active baby. He’s a natural athlete with cool vibes, wearing well on the field. He’s always looking for a new adventure, right at home playing pirates in the sandbox or going fishing with friends.

Nolan is a great pick for parents that dislike nicknames, as he doesn’t have any natural shortened forms to contend with. While he does have a soft sound, he matures with ease into adulthood and fits in the workplace.

Nolan Name Popularity

How popular is the name Nolan? Here’s everything we know.

Year	Rank	# Births	% Births
1910	469	11	0.0031%
1911	539	8	0.0021%
1912	446	39	0.0077%
1913	461	49	0.0086%
1914	505	58	0.0083%
1915	505	83	0.0091%
1916	454	113	0.0117%
1917	487	101	0.0101%
1918	546	86	0.008%
1919	495	108	0.0103%
1920	470	127	0.0114%
1921	448	146	0.0128%
1922	469	138	0.0124%
1923	461	135	0.0121%
1924	493	122	0.0105%
1925	518	103	0.0091%
1926	468	125	0.0114%
1927	467	133	0.012%
1928	501	111	0.0104%
1929	499	100	0.0097%
1930	436	147	0.0141%
1931	467	108	0.0109%
1932	425	138	0.014%
1933	432	121	0.013%
1934	416	138	0.0143%
1935	410	140	0.0144%
1936	473	103	0.0107%
1937	424	135	0.0137%
1938	416	149	0.0146%
1939	417	150	0.0147%
1940	398	171	0.0161%
1941	470	118	0.0105%
1942	450	151	0.012%
1943	447	156	0.0119%
1944	449	143	0.0115%
1945	484	113	0.0093%
1946	464	146	0.0099%
1947	488	146	0.0087%
1948	449	176	0.011%
1949	474	156	0.0097%
1950	474	159	0.0099%
1951	529	124	0.0073%
1952	495	160	0.0092%
1953	524	134	0.0076%
1954	531	142	0.0078%
1955	551	134	0.0073%
1956	537	152	0.008%
1957	587	126	0.0065%
1958	605	119	0.0063%
1959	603	118	0.0062%
1960	632	107	0.0056%
1961	648	98	0.0052%
1962	674	84	0.0046%
1963	663	95	0.0053%
1964	632	103	0.0059%
1965	719	62	0.0038%
1966	622	100	0.0064%
1967	657	85	0.0056%
1968	637	93	0.0062%
1969	674	92	0.006%
1970	634	118	0.0074%
1971	619	132	0.0088%
1972	706	83	0.0061%
1973	637	109	0.0084%
1974	717	82	0.0063%
1975	586	141	0.011%
1976	602	138	0.0107%
1977	605	142	0.0105%
1978	536	191	0.0142%
1979	550	194	0.0138%
1980	470	274	0.0187%
1981	425	340	0.0231%
1982	400	381	0.0255%
1983	379	407	0.0276%
1984	349	492	0.0331%
1985	370	456	0.03%
1986	391	423	0.028%
1987	393	441	0.0289%
1988	386	474	0.0304%
1989	367	574	0.0356%
1990	294	824	0.0497%
1991	257	1,026	0.0629%
1992	252	1,119	0.0701%
1993	248	1,130	0.0725%
1994	261	1,087	0.0708%
1995	264	1,035	0.0687%
1996	256	1,081	0.0722%
1997	234	1,291	0.0873%
1998	233	1,341	0.0896%
1999	210	1,610	0.1075%
2000	181	2,015	0.1319%
2001	180	2,080	0.138%
2002	174	2,211	0.1475%
2003	175	2,206	0.145%
2004	162	2,474	0.1623%
2005	148	2,708	0.1771%
2006	146	2,832	0.1809%
2007	133	3,166	0.2007%
2008	131	3,146	0.2035%
2009	121	3,432	0.2296%
2010	104	3,684	0.2556%
2011	92	4,165	0.2923%
2012	89	4,418	0.31%
2013	86	4,741	0.333%
2014	81	5,201	0.357%
2015	71	5,731	0.3939%
2016	65	5,625	0.3901%
2017	67	5,375	0.3851%
2018	64	5,607	0.4081%
2019	65	5,384	0.3977%

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Data via SSA.gov.

Names Like Nolan

If you like Nolan, you’ll love these other names like Nolan.

What names are diminutives of Nolan?

A diminutive is a name that’s like Nolan sounds, you might also like these names that sound like Nolan, but shorter.

Name	Meaning	Origin	Popularity	Other Gender
Noah	To rest	Hebrew
Noe	Peaceful	Hebrew

What names are variants of Nolan?

Mix it up with these names that are a variation of the name Nolan.

Name	Meaning	Origin
Noland	Champion	Irish
Nolen	Champion	Irish
Nolin	Champion	Irish
Nollan	Champion	Irish
Nolyn	Champion	Irish

What names sound like Nolan?

If you like how Nolan sounds, you might also like these names that sound like Nolan.

Name	Meaning	Origin
Colin	Cub	English
Nalin	Lotus	Indian (Sanskrit)
Neilan	Champion	Irish
Noam	Beautiful, good-looking	Hebrew
Noble	Aristocratic	Latin
Noel	Christmas	French
Norbert	Northern brightness	German

Norman	Northerner	German
Norris	Northerner	French
North
Norton	Northern town	German
Novak

What names are similar to Nolan?

Find a name that’s like Nolan, but just a little bit different.

Name	Meaning	Origin
Aiden	Little fire	Irish
Ciaran	Black	Irish
Conner	Dog lover	Irish
Jasper	Treasurer	English
Killian	Church	Irish
Liam	Helmet of will	Irish
Patrick	Nobleman	Latin
Preston	Priest's town	English
Ronan	Little seal	Irish
Stellan	Star	American

Lists With Nolan

Find inspiration in these baby boy name lists featuring the name Nolan.

Siblings of Nolan

Mamas with kids named Nolan also have kids with these names.

Name	Meaning	Origin	Popularity	Other Gender

Wesley	Western meadow	English
Alessandra	Defender of man	Italian

Share Your Thoughts

10 Comments

Molly Jan 1 at 11:31 am

We were wanting an Irish name to go with our first sons name, Callum. When I saw the meaning was champion it felt right due to this baby being born in 2020 and us having a more difficult pregnancy.

Reply
Megan Jun 30 at 10:44 am

Nolan is based off a family name Nole — grandparent. Love them name and him <3

Reply
Katelind Apr 4 at 1:28 am

I think the name Nolan is strong yet soft. It can be spelled easily even though it is fairly unique. And I think it’s cute for young kids and transitions well into an adult name.

Reply
Briana Jan 6 at 11:13 am

I chose Nolan because it’s close to his oldest brother name Noah, and It worked out great I love Nolan name I don’t have anything to say on the dislike about Nolan name

Reply
Kristin Nov 26 at 9:06 am

We didn’t have any ties or commitments to a family name, so we simply picked one we liked. My husband and I equally liked Nolan from the beginning. My background is Irish, so I like having the Irish/celtic ties since he has my husband’s last name.

Reply
Christina Jul 30 at 1:50 am

We loved the meaning of the name: “champion.”
With his middle name, Christopher, his full name means, “champion in Christ.” We also loved that it was unique but not too off the beaten path.

Reply
Farrah Jul 8 at 3:25 pm

My husband heard of
The name from the baseball player Nolan Ryan and he just really liked it. It grew on me throughout my pregnancy and I love it now too.

Reply
Kendra Jun 8 at 6:01 pm

It’s my maternal grandmother’s maiden name.

Reply
- Jacqueline Jun 23 at 3:48 pm
  
  It’s my maternal grandmothers maiden name too!!!
  
  Reply
Brandi Apr 13 at 7:39 pm

I chose to use the name “Nolan” after my favorite baseball player: Nolan Ryan.
I like that it’s a name I don’t hear very often.

Reply

Nolan