Whelan
English
editAlternative forms
editEtymology
editReduced Anglicized form of Irish Ó Faoláin (“descendant of Faolán”), a hypocoristic form of faol (“wolf”). Doublet of Phelan.
Proper noun
editWhelan (plural Whelans)
- A surname from Irish.
Statistics
edit- According to the 2010 United States Census, Whelan is the 3181st most common surname in the United States, belonging to 11363 individuals. Whelan is most common among White (95.07%) individuals.
Further reading
edit- Hanks, Patrick, editor (2003), “Whelan”, in Dictionary of American Family Names, volume 3, New York: Oxford University Press, →ISBN.