The baby name Nolan mixes a lively Irish spirit with a very American vibe.
Thanks to Carolyn for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day.
CHAMPION
The Irish given name Nuallán became Nolan in English.
The first element – nuall – means noble or champion. Tack on that familiar -an suffix and it becomes a common surname choice.
Like many last names, it sometimes appears as a first, even before it became a favorite.
NOLAN RYAN
One famous Nolan put this name on everybody’s radar: baseball great Nolan Ryan.
Born Lynn Nolan Ryan Jr., he made his professional baseball debut in 1966 with the New York Mets.
In 1999, the pitcher was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Ryan remained active in the sport, as president of the Texas Rangers and later an advisor to the Houston Astros.
He remains among the best known figures in baseball of our time.
BY THE NUMBERS
While Ryan clearly influenced the rise of Nolan, he didn’t single-handedly introduce it to parents.
Instead, the baby name Nolan has ranked in the US Top 1000 every since years 1899. But it remained relatively rare, never charting higher than the upper 300s, and usually well above that mark.
As a last name and a first, it’s been worn by many athletes, as well as fashion designer Nolan Miller, who helped define the extravagant look of 80s television staples like Dynasty, and actors, too.
The name’s biggest bump came in 1979. But instead of a new factor, we’re back to baseball. That’s the year Nolan Ryan signed a record-breaking contract with the Houston Astros. Even if you weren’t a baseball fan, chances are you heard that Ryan had become the first player to earn a million dollars a year.
Since 1979, the baby name Nolan began a slow and steady climb. In 2011, it entered the US Top 100 at #92. All these years later, it’s still there, coming in at #61 in 2020.
KEVIN and BRIAN, RYAN and AIDAN
The baby name Nolan follows logically from earlier generations of Irish favorites. Kevin and Brian grew up to name their sons Ryan and Brendan.
Eventually, a new generation of Irish-influenced names – also two-syllables and ending-with-n – would rise.
Aidan and Aiden defined the early twenty-first century.
But the baby name Nolan fit right in, too. It’s distinctive – few names sound exactly like it. And yet it fits with so many favorites, like Rowan and Cole. And it’s only a sound away from Biblical chart-topper Noah, too.
SPORTING FAVORITE
The baseball Hall-of-Famer left his mark. The baby name Nolan sounds sporty and upbeat.
But it’s not just a name for a kid bent on making varsity.
Fiction has given us very different Nolans, like the tech guru on Revenge. There’s also a character called Nolan in hit novel-turned-movie Ready Player One. He, in turn, is named for video game company founder Nolan Bushnell, who co-founded Atari in 1972. Nathan Fillion currently plays police officer John Nolan on ABC’s The Rookie.
We watched actor Nolan Gould grow up as Luke Dunphy on Modern Family.
If you’re looking for a friendly, accessible name with an Irish lilt, Nolan might belong on your list.
What do you think of the baby name Nolan?
First published on February 12, 2011, this post was revised substantially and re-published on June 2, 2021.
I’ve never been a fan of Nolan. I’m not fond of the sound, I think. All I can think of when I hear it is Nolan Ryan* — not a bad association, but the name is completely tied to him in my mind.
*And now Wil Wheaton, too — his stepsons are named Ryan and Nolan, and I can’t help but think they were named for the player.
Obviously that should read “coworker”, not “woworker”. However, woworker is funny to say, Try it.
My high school best friend lost her virginity to a Nolan. So when I hear the name, he is who I immediately think of.
Also, I was pregnant at the same time as the wife of a woworker of my husband. She gave her son Nolan as a middle name, but it’s the name he goes by. Funnily enough, his name sounds very similar to Nolan Ryan, which I think is cute.
I like the name. It’s unoffensive, not trendy in a way that’s painful to hear, and it has a nice sound.
I’ve met 2 or 3 toddler Nolans at library storytimes and toddler classes and such. I didn’t realize that it has Irish roots.
I also know a 1 year old Noel and I think I prefer Noel over Nolan.
You mentioned Jesse in this post too – when I looked through our local elementary school directory, Jesse was a name that popped up several times, which surprised me. Somehow it is “overexposed” in our neighbourhood.
I live in central Texas and I know 2 little boys named Nolan (and I know about 5 other families who have it on their short list for when they have a boy.) One of those families went ahead and named their daughter Rynne, and I feel it’s a fair assumption that most of the parents are familiar with the name because of Nolan Ryan. I completely agree that this name is headed straight up the charts!
Nolan was the name we planned on using for a boy since we got married as it’s a family name on both sides, and I love the sound. Then my husband’s cousin used it (kudos to her, because this was 9 years ago)…then it entered the top 100. I was bummed. It’s still a favorite, and I suggest it to people who don’t care quite as much about popularity rankings. I love the nickname Nole/Noel, too (probably a holdover from Felicity). I think this name is what leads me to love Magnolia/Nola so much for a girl–or at least Nolan is where my love affair started with that similar sound.
To me, Nolan sounds very young. I love it on a toddler – it’s adorable – but I have such a hard time seeing it on a grown man. It’s strange because I went to high school with a Nolan, but the name just never “clicked” for me. I don’t care for it…
I first heard Nolan over ten years ago on a boy who was, at that time, eight years old. His older brother was Alaric, and I remember thinking that their mother had been a rather unique baby-namer. However, I’m now hearing Nolan more and more often, so the name doesn’t seem as novel to me anymore (you’re right, it is popular here in Canada). I still prefer it to a lot of the two-syllable-ends-in-n names that seem to be flourishing at the moment, but it’s not a name I’d use at present.
I do know one new baby Nolan, a twin to Clara. I live in Texas, so I’m surprised I don’t hear Nolan more than I do, but like you I anticipate hearing it more often.
Oooh, I like that as a twin-set. Very nice.
I’m already hearing Nolan a fair bit up here in east central MA. The addorable toddler at the ice cream social last week was a Nolan. I ran into another one in the local CVS two days ago and the now 4 year old I first met at the Hospital fund raiser 4 years ago. It’s definitely cropping up. I have to admit I’m completely worn out hearing those ‘two-syllable, ends in -n” names but Nolan seems distinctive somehow. Maybe it’s that ‘N” beginning. ‘N’ names generally aren’t wildly popular. Maybe because I actually admire Nolan Ryan, I don’t know. But I do like Nolan quite a bit and wouldn’t mind seeing a bit more of him! Nolan’s neat.