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.

Infographic of Nolan name meaning, which is Derived from O Nuallain, Nolan is an Irish name meaning child of nobility.
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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%
2020 61 5,042 0.3961%
2021 60 5,319 0.4351%

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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
Noa
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 Popularity Other Gender
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 Popularity Other Gender
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

New

Hungarian

What names are similar to Nolan?

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

Name Meaning Origin Popularity Other Gender
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

17 Comments

  1. My husband Ross was the one that originally suggested Nolan. I didn’t mind it but it wasn’t my first pick. It came down to 2 names and after finally seeing his face, we knew Nolan was meant to be.

    Reply

  2. I thought of the name Nolan in the middle of the night one night when I was about seven months pregnant. I woke my husband up and asked him if he liked the name. He said he loved it. He loved it even more when I told him the meaning – in Gaelic it means descendent of a chariot fighter or champion. It also means “noble”. We waited until we had our baby to make a final decision on a name (we didn’t know it we were having a boy or a girl) but once he arrived we both knew he was a Nolan and we absolutely love the name!

    Reply

  3. We found the name after watching movie credits and the name just stuck. After we decided we saw the name on random cars we drove by, we saw it as a sign that we keep the name.

    Reply

  4. My first son is Noah. His nickname was NoNo.
    We wanted to keep the same flow. We liked the meaning of Nolan, and want to nickname him Nolie.

    Reply

  5. We loved the name after hearing on the show Revenge years ago. We both have Irish descent and it is an Irish name meaning “champion”

    Reply

  6. We liked the sound and look of it written. Worked well with the middle name we wanted, James.

    Reply

  7. 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

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

    Reply

  9. 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

  10. 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

  11. 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

  12. 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

  13. 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

  14. It’s my maternal grandmother’s maiden name.

    Reply

    • It’s my maternal grandmothers maiden name too!!!

      Reply

    • The name nolan is perfect for my dad I think I might name my son after him and I think for a nickname we can call him noal

      Reply

  15. 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

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