How popular is the name Nolan?

Nolan ranks 255th among boys' names in US records, with 134,664 births since 1881. Over the past decade it accounts for 54,068.

Is Nolan a unisex name?

No. Nolan is recorded almost entirely as a boys' name; births to the other gender are too few to register as a share.

2015, when 5,832 children were given the name. It has been in use for 144 years and is still recorded as of 2024.

Nolen, Nollan. All of these sound the same and are counted together in the totals on this page.

Boy name#255 of boy names

Pronounced N AA1 L AH0 N (ARPABET)

Nolan is a boys' name, and first appears in 1881. It has been given to 134,664 children — the 255th most common boys' name on record.

It is gaining, with the past decade running 41% ahead of the one before it. Its best single year was 2015, when 5,832 children were given it.

Two other spellings are counted in that total — Nolen and Nollan — because they are pronounced identically.

2015Boys: 5,832Girls: 18

These spellings sound identical to Nolan and are counted together with it, which is why the totals here are higher than a single-spelling count.

Phonetic detail

Stress digits mark unstressed (0), primary (1) and secondary (2) syllables.

Same first letter and syllable count, peaking around the same time.

Names from the same era with a matching rhythm but a different initial.

How popular is the name Nolan?: Nolan ranks 255th among boys' names in US records, with 134,664 births since 1881. Over the past decade it accounts for 54,068.
Is Nolan a unisex name?: No. Nolan is recorded almost entirely as a boys' name; births to the other gender are too few to register as a share.
When was Nolan most popular?: 2015, when 5,832 children were given the name. It has been in use for 144 years and is still recorded as of 2024.
How else is Nolan spelled?: Nolen, Nollan. All of these sound the same and are counted together in the totals on this page.