Given name & surname
Dolan
“a dark-haired man; one who is bold”
Dolan is used as a given name and a surname. One interpretation is “a dark-haired man; one who is bold.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One interpretation is “a dark-haired man; one who is bold.”
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1914. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Dolan through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 1,701
- 1,701 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1996
- 36 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −55%
- Cooling
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for boys is 14 in 2023. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for boys was 36 in 1996. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 1,241 as a first name in 2020; 26,300 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Dolan’s family of names
In English usage, Dolan as a surname shares an earlier linguistic root with Devlin. Dolan has a related form in Dolen. Dolan has a related form in Dolin.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Dolan has relatives in 3 languages. Lines run from its Irish roots to each of them.
4 related names in 3 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 7
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 2
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
Similar names
If you love Dolan, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Dugan
“a dark and swarthy man”
>99% boys
Phelan
“resembling a wolf”
95% boys · 5% girls
Ernan
>99% boys
Daray
“a dark-skinned man”
>99% boys
Duncan
“a dark warrior”
>99% boys
McLean
“the son of John's servant”
80% boys · 20% girls
Tynan
“one who is dark and dusty”
>99% boys
Sheehan
“little peaceful one; peacemaker” · “a small and peaceful man”
93% boys · 7% girls